Dragonslayer
by nivlac
Summary: He's missing an eye, a hand, and he has a sword thats larger than his new traveling companions. All he can remember, is his name. Guts. Slowly however, his memory was returning, bit by bit. When all the pieces of the puzzle fit, what would happen? Until then, he would stay with these "Shepards."
1. Chapter 1

**Don't ask me why I did it, I just did. If you like it, you like it, if you don't like it, you don't like it.**

Guts… that was his name, and that was all he could remember. His eye shot open and he saw a blue cloudless sky. The air smelled of pollen and other summer related scents. The land felt soft beneath him, and he found it hard to lift himself up off of the ground. Guts couldn't remember anything prior to waking up here, all which came to mind was a loud noise, akin to a heartbeat. He raised his arm from the ground and saw that his hand was missing, in its place was a metal prosthetic. Guts looked to his other arm, and saw that his hand was holding the hilt of a massive blade. It was broad enough to be a shield, and he felt safer with it at his side. He raised his head and looked down to the rest of his body. He was covered in sleek, black armor, and blood was leaking out from between the plates.

Was it his own blood? It was certainly hard to move. What was the extent of his injuries? Where was he? So many questions that he just didn't know the answer to. Gut's head fell back to the ground, and he passed out again. The second time he regained consciousness, he heard voices surrounding him. He did not open his eyes, he chose to listen in.

"Chrom, we have to help him, look at the guy, he's in bad shape." He heard a voice say.

"I agree, we can't just leave him here like this." He heard another say.

"Well, if you guys are done talking, I'm gonna work my magic." He heard a woman say.

"Would you look at that sword he's holding? It's enormous." He heard a man say.

Work their magic? What did they mean? He suddenly felt an energy wash over him. It was… familiar, and soothing. He felt wounds closing all over his body, and he could feel broken bones knitting themselves back together. Guts opened his lone eye, and saw four figures standing over him. One was a short blonde haired woman with a yellow dress and pigtails. She held a staff in her hand, and she wore some kind of frilly hat.

One was a man with dark blue hair. He wore a white cape and wore a metal pauldron on his right shoulder. The left arm was bare, and Guts could see what seemed to be a tattoo on his shoulder. The tattoo had a teardrop shape in the center, and wing like protrusions spreading out in either direction. He carried some sort of air of command about him.

The third was a tall man with brown hair and blue plated armor. He held his hands behind his back, and radiated a feeling of authority similar to that of the dark blue haired man, though it was much less pronounced.

The fourth… had long white hair. Guts didn't know why, but he _really_ hated that hair. He wore a black cloak with purple eyeball shapes running along the sleeves. He saw that there was a sword at his belt, and he was holding a book in hand.

Guts pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to quell the rising headache.

"And he's alive. Hello there friend, are you okay?" The dark blue haired man asked him.

"I think so. Who are you, and where am I?" Guts asked him.

The blue haired man offered him his hand, and Guts took it, leaving the massive sword laying on the ground. When he was on his feet, Guts realized that he towered over everyone there, including the blue armored man.

"I'm Chrom, this is my sister Lissa." Chrom said, pointing to the short blonde woman.

"The white haired guy is Robin, and this is Frederick the wary." Lissa said, pointing to the blue armored man.

Robin offered a hand to Guts.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Robin said.

Guts hesitated, but then shook his hand. That hair… it just infuriated him.

"So, what is your name?" Chrom asked him.

Guts turned to him.

"It's Guts." He said.

Chrom chuckled.

"That's an odd name, anyway to answer your previous question, you're in the Halidom of Ylisse." Chrom said.

Halidom of Ylisse?

"Never heard of it." Guts said.

Frederick sighed.

"First Robin, then you. How can you not have heard of the Halidom?" Frederick asked him.

Guts narrowed his eyes at Frederick.

"Probably because I don't know anything else besides my name." Guts said.

Lissa laughed for a minute straight before she recollected herself.

"This is gold! It hasn't even been three days and we've found two amnesiacs laying in a random open field!" Lissa yelled.

Guts looked to Chrom, and was about to ask him about Ylisse, but he had a solemn look on his face. Chrom was staring at the horizon, and Guts did the same. There were men running towards them, all brandishing fur clothing and wielding axes.

"Come on boys!" The man at the front of the group yelled. "Kill em' all!"

"We've got brigands! Steel yourselves!" Chrom yelled.

Guts leaned down and grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"You don't honestly think that you can lift that steel beam do you?" Frederick asked him.

Guts lifted the sword from the ground and threw it over his shoulder. He flashed a smirk Frederick's way. Holding this blade felt familiar to him, and with it, he felt invincible.

"By the gods! What strength!" Lissa yelled.

"Listen! We all need to get into pairs, now Lissa, I need you to go stand over there with your brother, Frederick and I will take on the first two of them, then Chrom, you follow up. Guts…" Robin started.

Guts charged towards the bandits with his sword raised. There were only ten of them in all, and something in him told him that he faced even greater challenges.

"Come back here you fool!" Frederick yelled.

The first man he reached swung his axe at him, and Guts swung the sword through the brigands attack, slicing clean through the weapon, and the man. His top half flew off to the left while his legs fell to the ground.

"Naga's tits!" One man yelled, backing away.

The man who had yelled earlier about killing them all backhanded him.

"Coward! He's just one man! Now charge!" He yelled.

Three of them charged Guts at the same time, and raised their weapons over their heads.

"Guts look out!" He heard Lissa yell.

Guts slashed at their arms and disconnected them from the elbow up, sending the weapons and the decapitated limbs sailing off. The men screamed out in horror for a moment before Guts finished all three of them off with a single swing.

"S-sir! We're in over our heads here, let's get gone!" A man said, turning to their boss.

"You're all weak! Either die to him, or die to me!" He yelled.

Guts charged up and stabbed the leader through the stomach. He coughed up blood on the large blade, then Guts swung the body off of the blade and towards two of the other men, knocking them to the ground. He didn't waste any more time, and sliced his way through the rest. Disconnecting body parts and spraying blood everywhere.

The entire area where the brigands were was covered in blood, severed limbs and other viscera were everywhere. The once bright green grass was now covered in a shade of red. Guts hadn't even broken a sweat. He looked back to the others, and all of their eyes were widened in disbelief. He walked back towards them, sheathing his sword at his back.

"I can't believe this… You took care of them in mere moments! It was barely even a fight!" Robin yelled.

"I've never seen anyone get rid of so many in so little time." Frederick said.

"Holy crap!" Lissa yelled.

Chrom just grinned at him. He had some kind of sparkle in his eyes. Guts didn't know why, but that look felt strangely familiar.

"Guts, you say that you remember nothing of your past correct?" Chrom asked.

Guts nodded.

"If that's the case, then you don't have anywhere to go right?" Chrom asked.

"No." Guts said, furrowing his brow.

"Milord, don't tell me that you're actually going to-" Frederick started.

"Would you like to join the Shepard's Guts? A warrior such as yourself would prove invaluable in battle." Chrom said.

Guts put a hand on his chin.

"Why do Shepard's need warriors? That doesn't make a lot of sense. How many sheep do you have to protect?" Guts asked.

Lissa giggled, and Chrom chuckled.

"We're not actually Shepard's silly! We're a group that keeps the peace in Ylisse." Lissa said.

"I'm not opposed to the idea of you joining Guts. I'd feel a lot safer with you around, that's for sure." Robin said, smiling.

Guts sighed.

"I'm just not sure. I woke up and I have no idea who I am or what's going on… It's a little much." Guts said.

"That sure didn't stop me from joining." Robin said.

"Come on Guts, at least stay with the Shepard's until your memory resurfaces." Chrom said.

Guts let out a sigh of defeat.

"You're right, what else am I going to do? Go back to napping in this field?" Guts said.

Chrom almost jumped with joy.

"Great! Welcome to the Shepard's Guts. We're currently on our way to Ylisstol, the capital of Ylisse. It's not that far, we'll be there in a day or two." Chrom said.

"I suppose I don't have a say in this." Frederick sighed.

"Nope! Now go collect pebbles." Lissa said.

"I beg your pardon?" Frederick asked her.

"Don't you do that?" Lissa asked him.

"No…" Frederick said.

"Really?" Robin asked him.

Frederick pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Really." Frederick said.

"Enough." Chrom chuckled. "Come, we've a long way to go."

"Yes we do. Is anyone hungry? I could have sworn that I saw a bear earlier…" Frederick said.

…

After a fair bit of walking, they decided to set up camp for the night. They were in a dark forest, Guts could hear crickets chirping and frogs croaking in the distance. Frederick had went off a couple of hours ago in search of an animal to bring back. Guts didn't think he was serious about killing a bear until he came back on his horse with tons of bear meat. Guts had made a campfire, and Frederick began cooking the bear over it.

Once it was done, the group all sat around the campfire. Robin tore into that bear steak like a savage beast, as if he hadn't eaten in days. Guts took a bite of his steak, it didn't taste the best, but it was better than nothing.

"Seriously? A bear Frederick? Couldn't you spear a normal animal? Like a deer or something?" Lissa complained.

"I couldn't find anything else besides the bear." Frederick responded.

"But it tastes like old boots!" Lissa yelled.

"At least it tastes like something." Guts said, his mouth half full.

"Food is food Lissa, we'll have plenty to eat once we reach Ylisstol." Chrom said, taking a bite of his steak.

"You all know nothing of good food!" Lissa pouted.

Guts looked over to Frederick, and noticed that he didn't have a plate. He did kill the bear didn't he? There was still plenty of meat to go around.

"Frederick, why don't you have any food?" Guts asked him.

Lissa narrowed her eyes at the knight.

"Yeah, why don't you have any food?" Lissa asked him.

"I… Had a very large lunch. I'm not hungry." Frederick said.

"Humph, liar." Lissa said, taking a reluctant bite of her food.

Chrom looked to Guts.

"So do you remember anything from your past yet? Any other names?" Chrom asked him.

Guts pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, nothing. All that happens when I try is a headache." Guts said, taking another bite.

Robin looked up from his meal for a moment.

"Huh, it's kind of like that with me. It's weird though, I knew Chromes name when I woke up, it just came out of my mouth as soon as I saw him." Robin said.

"Very odd indeed." Frederick said, narrowing his eyes at Robin.

After they were done with their bear dinner, the group decided to turn in for the night. No one had any bed rolls, so they had to sleep in the dirt. Guts didn't mind, he felt as if he hadn't slept in days. He was asleep in what felt like mere moments.

Then he had a horrible nightmare.

He was in a place that was covered with the blood of his friends. Guts didn't know how they were his friends exactly, but he just knew. Guts looked up and saw a bat like humanoid creature descending from the sky.

" _You will now be named Femto."_

Gut's eye shot open, and he sat up from the ground. His breathing was heavy, and he was baring his teeth in anger. That dream… was so horrible, so much blood... he put a hand on his chest in an attempt to relax himself. After he calmed himself, he looked to his traveling companions, and saw that only Frederick and Robin were present. They both held their hands behind their head and were snoring away. Where did Chrom and Lissa go?

Guts stood up from the ground, and looked around into the darkness of the forest. He could not see them, nor could he hear their voices. How far away were they? Were they in danger? Suddenly, he felt the ground begin to shake violently beneath his feet. He hefted his blade from the ground, and sheathed it on his back.

Guts saw as Robin and Frederick were lifted up off of the ground from the force of the earthquake. After they hit the ground, they shot up to their feet looking dazed and confused. Frederick looked around the campsite, and looked flustered and slightly panicked.

"Where is milord and milady!?" Frederick yelled. "And where is my horse!?"

"I have no idea, I just woke up and they were gone!" Guts yelled.

"We have to get out of here!" Robin yelled.

He watched as a large chunk of earth rose from the ground, spurting lava from beneath it. It flew everywhere and singed his left arm. With no words, they all ran into the forest and away from the catastrophe. They dodged falling tree's and lava spurts for what felt like a mile, then they found themselves in a clearing where Chrom and Lissa were fighting off these strange men.

They wore metal masks with jagged teeth, and their eyes glowed a violent shade of red.

"You guys! Thank the gods you showed up!" Chrom yelled, blocking the strike of one of the beasts.

Chrom pushed himself away from it, and followed up with a slash across its throat, causing it to turn into black smoke.

"What in the world?" Robin said, running up to Chrom.

Frederick let out a loud whistle, then a few moments later, his armored horse showed up. How good is that beasts hearing? The knight hopped onto its back, and hefted his lance at the nearest opponent, driving his weapon deep in its midsection. That too, dissolved into black smoke. Two of them were charging his position, but in a single slice with his blade, he separated them both from their torsos.

Again, more black smoke.

"What are these things!?" Lissa yelled, backing away from the battle.

Guts furrowed his brow.

"They're not human." Guts said, charging the next three monsters.

Again, it took merely one slice to end their lives, it seemed that this sword could cut through anything. He heard voices talking from behind him, and turned to see two people conversing. One was a woman with short, reddish hair on a horse, and the other was a bright blue haired man with a bow and quiver. Guts watched as the woman kicked the man in the stomach from her horse, then he turned back to the fight.

He couldn't afford to be distracted. He charged ahead with Chrom and Robin, dispatching the rest of the beasts with ease. After he was sure that all of their opponents had been dealt with, Guts sheathed his sword, and turned to Chrom and the rest of the party. Including the two new additions.

"Come on! Why didn't you leave any for me eh? That pisses me off!" The woman yelled.

"Please Sully, anger does not befit a woman as beautiful as you." The man said in an unrecognizable accent.

"Lay off creep." Sully said.

"Sully, glad you could make it. Who's this?" Chrom asked pointing to the blue haired man.

"I am the archest of archers, I am Virion, a pleasure I'm sure." Virion said, bowing.

Guts looked to the right of Chrom, and saw a man with the same shade of blue hair as Chromes was standing there silent. He wore a mask over his face, and wore black armor that reminded Guts of his own. At his hip was a sword that looked strikingly similar to Chrome's sword, it even had that hole in between the grip and the blade.

Guts looked at the armor again, it really did look almost just like his own. There were a few differences, such as the size, but the shape was a near mirror image. The man's gaze seemed to be drawn to Guts and Chrom for some reason.

Guts walked over to him, and he flinched.

"What is your name? And where did you come from?" Guts asked him.

The man opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, and then said.

"You may call me Marth."

His voice sounded oddly feminine…

"Marth? You mean like the hero king of old?" Chrom asked him, craning his neck towards Marth.

"Listen, what you all see here now is just a prelude to an even greater catastrophe. You have been warned." He said, turning away and walking off into the forest.

"Wait!" Chrom yelled.

His voice fell on deaf ears as Marth continued to march away into the darkness of the woods.

"What an odd man. Are you unhurt milord?" Frederick asked Chrom.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking Frederick." Chrom said.

"Oi Chrom, who are these two?" Sully said, pointing to Robin and Guts.

"These are the newest additions to the Shepard's, Guts and Robin." Chrom said, pointing at them as he said their names.

"Robin is super smart! And Guts is super strong!" Lissa cheered.

"I'm just good at tactics, that's all." Robin said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Guts merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Huh, I think for a sparring partner I'd rather go with the big guy. White head over there looks too small." Sully said.

"But I'm just as tall as Chrom!" Robin yelled.

"Like I said, too small." Sully responded.

Robin's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Are you calling me little Sully?" Chrom asked her.

She nodded.

"Yep."

Virion winked at her.

"My dearest Sully, surely you would rather spar with me. That man looks too dangerous to be your sparring partner my flower." Virion said.

Sully narrowed her eyes at him.

"If it means kicking the crap out of you on a daily basis, then whatever." Sully said.

Virion jumped with glee.

"Everyone, we still need to reach Ylisstol. Faster now than ever really, what if this earthquake hit the city?" Frederick reasoned.

Chrom's eyes widened.

"You're right Frederick, come on everyone, let's get a move on!" Chrom yelled.

Guts looked around at the forest. It was devastated, everything was either on fire or destroyed utterly. This, like many other things, felt familiar. A forest on fire… Guts touched one of the scars on his cheek.

Odd.

"How far is it to Ylisstol?" Guts asked.

"If we really hoof it, we'll be there within a day or so." Lissa said.

"Well then get your hoofing shoes on shorty, cause we're in a hurry." Sully said.

This has been a weird day, that's for sure.

 **Okay well, there we are, the first chapter done. Please for the love of whatever Deity you worship or don't worship, leave a review. I actually kind of liked writing this little number.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the second chapter, enjoy it like you would enjoy a decapitated kitten.**

The citizens of this Halidom carried an air of calm about them. It permeated everything in Ylisstol, the streets, the buildings, and even the heavily armed soldiers that were waiting for them at the front gates. Sully left them and made way for the Shepard's garrison, which was by someplace by the capital. Unsurprisingly, Virion followed after her. They were let in as soon as they saw Chrom, and after a bit walking around the city, they came across a woman being led by several soldiers through the streets.

She had long blonde hair, and wore a cloak with odd numerals emblazoned on the collar. On her forehead was the same tattoo that Chrom had on his shoulder, a teardrop shape with wing like protrusions sticking out on either end. She radiated a feeling of peace. She raised her hand to the citizens and smiled.

The people kept their distance from her, but they all still praised her name. Emmeryn, the Exalt. From the way they went on about her, Guts assumed that she was either the leader of Ylisse, or a highly religious figure. Or both. Guts got another headache, and an image popped up of a giant man with a square shaped face wearing white garments and a round white hat.

Who the hell was that?

"Guts? Are you okay?" Robin asked him.

He looked down at the smaller man.

"I'm fine." Guts responded.

Robin let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay good, I was getting worried there for a second." Robin said.

Guts frowned.

"You don't need to fret over me." Guts said.

Robin raised his hands.

"I just don't want our most powerful Shepard going into battle ill. Also, did you hear? Emmeryn is Chrom and Lissa's big sister!" Robin declared.

"Okay." Guts said.

Lissa walked up next to Robin and stared at Guts with a furrowed brow.

"Wait, so you're not going to freak out about me and Chrom being the prince and princess and all that crap?" Lissa said.

"I don't really care about that." Guts said.

Frederick then came up with Chrom following in tow.

"Guts, you shouldn't be so rude to the princess. You should show proper manners to her, much like Robin did Chrom when he found out that they were royalty. You know, groveling." Frederick said.

Guts turned a lone eye towards him.

"I do not grovel." Guts said.

"Calm down Frederick, we don't like being treated like that anyway." Chrom said.

"Yeah! Me neither!" Lissa yelled.

"Very well milord. It looks as if lady Emmeryn is headed back for the palace, shall we follow?" Frederick asked.

"Yes, let's go everyone." Chrom said.

The group then began to follow the Exalt to the palace. It wasn't that long of a walk, and they were there in a mere fifteen minutes. The entire time during the stroll, several soldiers and citizens all stared at him, or rather the sword at his back. They all looked at him with fear in their eyes, and that feeling of familiarity washed over him once more. A sentence was trying to sound itself off in his head, but it couldn't get any further than "The." It bothered him to no end that he couldn't remember everything.

Details were coming back bit by bit however. He remembered something about a little kid that followed him around that looked like a monkey. Something about an attempt to steal his sword. There was another thing he remembered, and that was a name that made his heart weary.

 _Gambino_

That name echoed throughout his mind as he tried to put a face to the name, but he could not bring himself to do it. Guts got so caught up in trying to remember who Gambino was that he didn't even notice that they reached the palace. Emmeryn walked through the gates with her guards following closely behind her. Chrom and the rest of the group were waved in, and Guts received more stares.

The palace was definitely worthy of the name. Stone columns, large windows, and guards patrolling the grounds. They all went through the doors into a main hall, where Emmeryn awaited them. Paintings of Chrom, Lissa, Emmeryn, and several others decorated the walls, green banners hanging around next to them. The place smelled cleaner than the streets outside, that was a definite.

Everyone walked up to the Exalt, and she gave them a warm smile.

"Chrom, Lissa, it's good to see you again." Emmeryn said.

"It's good to see you too sis!" Lissa yelled, giving her older sister a hug.

Emmeryn wrapped her arms around Lissa and they embraced for a moment before they parted.

"Is nice to see you too Emm. Did you hear about the earthquake and the strange creatures that followed?" Chrom asked her.

"Yes I have, they've been sighted all across Ylisse, terrorizing villages and attacking our people." Emmeryn said, her eyes making contact with the ground.

"Do not fret milady, these beasts can be just as easily dispatched as any man." Frederick said.

Emmeryn's eyes lifted, and they found themselves gazing at Guts and Robin.

"That brings me relief Frederick, though I wish that this weren't taking place at all. So who are these two men Chrom?" Emmeryn asked him.

Chrom smiled.

"These are our two newest additions to the Shepard's. This is Robin." Chrom said, pointing to the tactician. "He's our new strategist."

Robin's eyes lit up, and he clutched his brown tome in his hands.

"It's an honor to meet you your grace." Robin said bowing.

"Likewise." Emmeryn said, smiling.

Chrom then pointed to Guts.

"And this is Guts. You won't believe this Emmeryn, but he cut down ten Plegian brigands all on his own with that blade of his in a matter of moments!" Chrom declared.

Guts simply blinked in response. Was it that big of a deal? Frederick took on several risen on his own and didn't get praise for it.

"Ten men all on your own? Impressive. Tell me Chrom, where did you find these two?" Emmeryn asked him.

Chrom scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"They were both laying unconscious in an open field." Chrom said.

Emmeryn narrowed her eyes at her little brother.

"Milady, they also claim to have no memory. But it is just that, a claim. They could be Plegian spies or assassins." Frederick said.

"Frederick!" Chrom and Lissa both yelled.

"Chrom, would you trust these two with your life?" Emmeryn asked him.

"With all my heart. They risked their lives for Ylisse, and that was all it took to earn my trust." Chrom said.

Did Guts save any lives when he got here? All he did was slaughter some bandits and monsters. Perhaps they would have caused some damage later, but he didn't risk his life for Ylisse. They were a threat that needed to be dealt with, so he dealt with them accordingly.

"Then that's all I need to hear. Chrom, we need to discuss what to do with this issue." Emmeryn said.

He then felt an arm loop into his. Guts looked down and saw Lissa with her arms intertwined with both Robins and his own.

"Come on you two! I've got a place I want to show you guys!" Lissa yelled, tugging them towards the exit.

He looked to Robin and saw that his face was flushed red with embarrassment. Guts himself couldn't care less. Lissa led them both through the streets and outside of the capital. After a bit more walking, they came across a lone stone building on the side of the road. It was a large square building, and Guts could see archers patrolling the roof. On the ground level, two guards wearing oddly shaped helmets stood in front of a large double wide wooden door.

When they saw Lissa, they leaned their spears against the wall, and opened the door, waving them inside. Lissa chuckled, and gestured for them to follow her. Guts and Robin looked to each other for a moment before they crossed the threshold into the building.

The trio walked through a narrow hallway that led to a large open room with weapons and pieces of armor lying about everywhere. It smelled like a dusty old book, and the air complimented that fact. Guts let out a sneeze.

"Bless you." Robin said.

Guts didn't respond. He had just noticed that there were other people in the room. One was a bare chested blonde man with a scar on his cheek. He carried an axe and held it over his shoulder. The other was a woman with black hair in full armor. She wore what seemed to be a wing shaped bowtie in her long hair. In the far back, Guts could see another woman with blonde hair holding a tiny umbrella wearing light colored clothing.

Guts felt a chill, as if someone was watching him, but he looked around the room once more and couldn't see anyone. He thought he caught a glimpse of an armored suit, but that just turned out to be the woodwork built into the wall.

"Welcome to the Shepard's garrison you two! Make yourselves at home!" Lissa yelled, throwing her arms in the air.

The blonde haired man looked to Lissa.

"Hey squirt, where's your brother? Its time Teach taught him who the best is." The man said.

"You two are always beating up on each other Vaike. And your name is 'Teach' now huh?" Lissa asked.

Vaike smiled.

"Yep the Vaike is now the Teach!" Vaike yelled.

"That's a dumb name." Guts said.

"I'll say." Lissa agreed.

Vaike huffed, and pointed his axe at Guts and Lissa.

"You two are just jealous that you couldn't come up with a better name for yourselves! The Vaike is an expert when it comes down to naming stuff." Vaike said.

"Whatever Vaike, Lissa is just fine with me." Lissa said, placing her hands on her hips.

Vaike opened his mouth to retort, when the blonde woman came at them running.

"Lissa my treasure! Are you okay!?" The woman asked.

"Oh, hey Maribelle." Lissa responded.

Maribelle clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on the small umbrella.

"Oh hey yourself! I sprouted fourteen gray hairs worrying about you!" Maribelle yelled.

"Okay sheesh! I missed you too Maribelle." Lissa said.

Maribelle sighed.

"I missed you too."

"So Lissa, who're these guys?" Vaike asked, raising an eyebrow at the two.

Lissa pointed to Robin.

"This is Robin, he's our new tactician. He's like superdupersmart." Lissa said. She then pointed to Guts. "And this is Guts, he's like superduperstrong."

Robin scratched the back of his head.

"I'm just good at strategy that's all." Robin said.

Guts didn't say anything, he was busy trying to dig out some more of his memories.

"Lissa, my dear, they look like commoners. Especially the big one! I don't even need to hear him speak to know that he is all brawn and no brain!" Maribelle said.

Guts turned his lone eye towards her.

"What are you looking at brute? I don't want that creepy eye staring at me-"Maribelle started.

Guts flicked her forehead with his finger. He didn't really know why he did it, it just felt instinctual. Maribelle rubbed her forehead with both hands.

"How dare you! I should have you-"Maribelle started.

Guts flicked her forehead again.

"Ow! Will you stop that!?" Maribelle yelled.

"Sorry. I just don't like being talked down to by someone shorter than I am." Guts said.

Vaike let out a bellowing laugh.

"The Vaike likes him already! I bet we're gonna be the best of buds!" Vaike said, patting Guts on the back.

"Maribelle, try to be nicer please? For me?" Lissa pleaded.

Maribelle looked baffled.

"Lissa, he just assaulted me! You would take his side over mine!?" Maribelle yelled.

"Well… you were being kind of rude to us. Seriously, we just met you." Robin said.

Guts nodded in agreement to Robin's statement, then Maribelle pointed to Guts.

"I am the daughter of a Duke!" Maribelle yelled.

"What does that have to do with this?" Guts asked her.

"Maribelle, Guts doesn't really care about all that crap. Just let it go. Please?" Lissa asked.

Maribelle sighed, then unclenched her fists.

"Only for you my treasure." Maribelle said.

 _My treasure._

Something else popped up in Gut's mind. A round egg shaped necklace. It was red, and had two closed eyes, a mouth, and a nose. The facial features were all spread apart on the egg shaped necklace. One of its eyes opened and he saw that it was a deep shade of blue. Guts didn't know why, but he really wanted to break it. Guts zoned out the rest of everyone's conversation; he could feel something about to reveal itself. When it did show itself, all he saw was a short blonde haired boy. A name sounded itself off in his mind.

"Rickert." Guts said out loud.

"What was that Guts?" Chrom asked him.

When did he show up? It must have been while Guts was zoned out. Then again… how long was he zoned out? Guts looked to the window for a moment, the sun hadn't set, so that was good, it meant that he didn't stand in one place staring at nothing for _too_ long. He didn't want these people to think he was some kind of lunatic. Guts hated the word lunatic. He turned back to Chrom.

"Don't worry about it." Guts said.

"Captain! I-"The black haired woman's sentence was cut off when she tripped over nothing, smashing her face on the stone floor.

Guts didn't expect her to get back up, but she did. Her face didn't even look like it was scratched. She dusted herself off, and squinted in embarrassment.

"Sumia? Are you okay? Was it those boots again?" Chrom asked her.

"No- I mean yes- I mean…." Sumia stuttered.

"It looks like you need to get some new boots." Robin pointed out.

"Maybe you're right… they're just so comfy though." Sumia sighed.

"Comfort isn't needed. If you're in a battle with murderers and monsters, tripping will get you killed." Guts said.

Sumia poked both of her index fingers together.

"The thing is though… I've always been a klutz, even without the boots." Sumia said.

"Well, I don't think she'll be tripping over her own Pegasus… at least I hope not." Chrom said, giving a nervous chuckle.

"I- I won't captain!" Sumia declared, her hands straight at her sides.

"So Chrom, what's the news?" Lissa asked her brother.

Chrom looked down at his younger sister, then to the rest of the Shepard's.

"We're to march to Regna Ferox to request aide. Ylisse doesn't have enough soldiers to take this threat on alone. Also, the council has decided to give them a name. Risen. We head out tomorrow, so get a good night's sleep everyone." Chrom said. "Robin, come here, I have this book I want to show you."

Robin nodded.

"Alright then, where is it?" Robin asked.

"It should be somewhere around here… It's a magic book that we call the Roster, as the tactician, I think it might be beneficial for you to read it. It holds information on everyone in the Shepard's." Chrom said.

"How does it work?" Robin asked him.

Chrom scratched the back of his head.

"No one knows, the Shepard's have always had the roster. As soon as we get a new recruit, their backgrounds are added to its pages." Chrom said.

Guts looked into Chrom's blue eyes.

"I want to see it. Just about me. It might hold something about my past." Guts said.

Maribelle grabbed Lissa by the arm.

"You boys have fun with your reading, come Lissa." Maribelle said, tugging her along towards the exit.

Lissa waved at everyone before she disappeared out the door.

"The Vaike is gonna hit the hay, when I wake up, you and Vaike Chrom." Vaike said, putting a fist into his open palm.

"If you're that ready to lose again Vaike." Chrom smiled.

"Can we cut to the chase? I really want to see the book." Guts said.

"Yeah, I'm a bit curious myself." Robin said.

Chrom sighed.

"It should be around here somewhere…" Chrom said.

…

…

…

After five minutes of searching, the trio found the book laying on a large wooden box containing other books. Robin grabbed the brown tome and flipped it open.

"It says here that I'm the biggest mystery of the group… Well, that was kind of disappointing." Robin said.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure your memory will return eventually." Chrom said.

Robin flipped another page and after a moment of reading, began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Chrom asked him.

"It says here that you're the most likely to break things, and your sister is the most likely to snort!" Robin laughed out.

"It does?" Chrom sighed.

"People break things all the time. It isn't a big deal." Guts said.

Robin flipped to the next page, and read it for a moment before looking up from the book and narrowing his eyes at Guts.

"What?" Guts asked him.

"Do you really hate my hair?" Robin asked him.

"Yes." Guts responded.

Robin looked baffled.

"Why? Like the length or what?" Robin asked him.

Guts shook his head.

"I hate the color." Guts said.

"I personally think it looks good on him." Chrom said.

"Thanks Chrom. Oh and Guts, it doesn't reveal that much about you, other than how attached you are to that sword of yours. However, there are these little tid bits at the end that label a random fact about the Shepard's." Robin said.

Guts furrowed his brow at him.

"What does mine say?" Guts asked him.

Robin hesitated.

"It says that you're the one with the most tragic past." Robin said.

Guts got a headache, and a name popped up in his head that made his heart want to collapse. 'Band of the Hawk.' Just sounding those words off in his mind brought so many emotions forward. Sadness, happiness, love, and the most pronounced: _Vengeance._

"I don't understand… how could it know something about your past but not mine?" Robin asked Guts.

"The most tragic past? Guts, do you remember anything about that?" Chrom asked him.

Guts clenched his teeth then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I need to go for a walk, good night." Guts said, walking towards the exit.

"Guts wait!" Chrom yelled.

The prince's words fell on deaf ears as Guts left the building. The sun looked about ready to set, and the head splitting migraine showed no signs of reprieve.

This was going to be a long night.

 **Leave a review or I just might show up under your bed tonight.**

 **._.**


	3. Chapter 3

The march to Regna Ferox was long, and inconvenient. Two days ago, they ran into a band of risen in an area called the north road. Guts and Frederick took care of most of the risen themselves, while the rest of the Shepard's cleaned up what was left. They also got a new addition to their team, a woman named Miriel. The large hat that she wore brought up an image of a little green haired girl in a witches hat. He could not place a name for the girl though.

There was another addition, a man by the name of Stahl. He was a horseman, and he wore green armor, but unlike Frederick and Sully, he wielded a blade. Something about him brought up another image of a blonde man. There was actually a name he could place with this one. Serpico.

Lissa's friend didn't join them on the march, much to Vaike's relief. She went back to wherever she came from. The woman Sumia stayed behind with an actual Pegasus that was wounded. Guts could hardly believe that they existed, and he couldn't understand why he wanted to cut its head off.

A very… odd situation took place in camp one day during the trip. Guts walked into his tent that day to see a… naked tapestry of Chrom on his tent wall. Said prince then ran into Gut's tent at that moment, holding several other tapestry's and ripped it down and threw it into the pile. Chrom didn't even say a word to Guts, he ran back out of his tent immediately afterwards.

Neither of them ever talked about it again.

A freezing wind tore at the Shepard's as they continued their march, snow crunching under their feet.

Guts wrapped himself in his black cape, sheltering himself from the cold wind. He had no idea that Ferox was supposed to be so… freezing. He didn't really talk with the other Shepards much, besides Chrom and Robin. They all continued the march, until they came across the first body.

It was just… lying on the road, blood reddening the snow around the corpse. It looked to have been mutilated by some kind of feral beast. Guts noticed that a part of the back of his neck was starting to sting for some odd reason. The dead man wore some weighty looking armor, the shoulder pauldrons especially. They looked almost impractical.

The armor looked to have been ripped apart as if it were nothing. They continued on, this time more weary of their surroundings. After a bit more walking, they came across the second body, then the third, then the fourth. All of them were increasing in frequency, and the Shepards quickened their pace. Chrom said that these bodies were leading to the long fort, and he feared that something horrible may have taken place.

The closer they got to the fort, the more his neck stung. Guts had a bad feeling about this. They passed more, and more bodies, each more horribly mangled than the last. Some of the weaker stomached Shepards almost lost their lunch just glancing at them. After Guts could see the long fort on the horizon, he decided to speak up about the ominous feeling that surrounded it.

"Robin. There is… something familiar about this. I can't quite place it, but we must tread carefully." Guts said, not turning to look at the tactician.

"Really? I was just thinking the same thing. If these were Feroxi warriors, then we're not just dealing with common brigands. I feel like this was risen." Robin replied.

Chrom walked up to the left of Guts, and Robin to the right. Snow crunched under their footsteps, and each breath that they took turned to vapor. The rest of the Shepards were farther back than them, out of earshot.

"If these were risen, then they're stronger than any other we faced before. Ferox is known for having some of the best warriors in the world." Chrom said.

Guts sighed.

"Something in me is screaming otherwise." Guts said.

Robin furrowed his brow.

"You mean you don't think it was risen that killed those men? What then?" Robin asked.

Guts instinctually reached to the back of his neck. Something warm was running down it. Once he brought it back, he observed his fingers. It was blood. A word was forming in his mind, and Guts had an answer to Robin's question.

"A… Apostle." Guts said.

"An Apostle? Guts, what are you on about? And is that… Blood? Guts your bleeding!" Robin yelled.

Guts wiped the blood off on his cape.

"I'm fine. Let's just continue on." Guts said, quickening his pace.

Chrom put a hand on his shoulder.

 _Gagged and held down_

"Guts, you don't need to-"Chrom started.

Guts shook Chrom's hand off of his shoulder, turned to him, and bared his teeth.

"Don't touch me!" Guts yelled.

He felt an uncontrollable anger surging from within himself, as if something were trying to take him over. Guts wanted to run to the long fort and kill whatever was there as fast as possible. His better judgment stopped him however, the anger in him also gave way to caution. He felt that if he left, something would attack and kill everyone in their group.

"Guts calm yourself!" Robin yelled, stepping in-between Guts and Chrom.

Guts took a deep breath, and continued his march forward. Robin and Chrom did the same, though now they were keeping a fair distance from him. He hadn't felt that angry about getting touched before, and the rage that was building up because of the approach to the long fort didn't help. They continued on like that for a few minutes before they saw an injured woman with short blonde hair walking along the road.

She wore the same kind of armor that the first body was wearing, and she was not armed. Her eyes looked empty, as if she were just a corpse that could still move. The armor was severely dented, and the left side of her head was caked with blood, as if she were thrown against a wall. She shambled towards the Shepards and stood just in front of Guts. She raised a finger at him.

"H-help them… Monster…" She mumbled, falling onto the ground face first.

Chrom, Robin, and Lissa all ran past Guts, and kneeled at her side. Chrom turned her around so she was lying on her back. No words needed to be spoken to know that she was near death. Lissa raised her staff in the air, and an energy washed over the woman. She then opened her eyes and sat up from the ground. She looked panicked.

"Whoever you may be, please help us! A monster attacked the long fort!" She yelled.

Chrom put a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Calm down. What did this beast look like?" Chrom said.

The woman put her head in her hands.

"Oh gods… it killed them all…" She mumbled.

"It's no use, she's in shock. Let's just kill whatever it is as quickly as possible." Guts said.

Guts began to walk past her, when she grabbed his arm.

"You can't kill it! Some of the best warriors in Ferox… all felled by a single beast…" She said, eyes making contact with the ground.

Gut's lone eye looked into her own.

"I _can_ kill it. Now let go of me." Guts said, shrugging off her grasp.

He continued his march, ignoring the pleas of warning from the other Shepards behind him.

Guts should've listened.

He felt something hard collide with his chin beneath him, sending Guts flying twenty feet in the air. He hated feeling weightless. He landed hard on his back, and shot up the instant he made contact with the ground, drawing his sword.

He saw a small man with messy green hair standing in the area Guts was in before he went flying. He wore nothing save for some raggedy brown pants, and he had several arrows and daggers sticking out of his chest, arms, and back. He was covered with blood, and he kept he kept his head low to the ground, hiding his face. The man looked up, revealing equally green eyes and a sadistic toothy smile. Where on earth did he come from?

"Oh! I remember you! You weren't so nice the last time we played together! I'm ready to kill you Black Swordsman, fight me!" He yelled, outstretching his arms.

Black Swordsman? Did he fight this beast before? He did look… somewhat familiar, though he could not place where he'd met this thing before.

Guts turned his head to the rest of the Shepards. They were all charging forwards, weapons at the ready. The fools!

"Stay back! He is beyond you!" Guts yelled.

Robin ran up to Gut's left, and Chrom to his right.

"We aren't going to let you fight him alone!" Robin yelled.

Guts took a deep breath.

"Run you idiots! You're going to get yourselves killed!" He yelled.

Chrom drew his sword and pointed it at the green haired monster.

"Comrades don't abandon each other on the battlefield. We'll stand with you Guts." Chrom said.

The apostle scowled.

"I don't want other people interrupting our game!" He yelled charging forwards at an impossible speed.

The monster kicked Robin hard in the stomach, sending the white haired tactician and his tome flying far away. Robin knocked Frederick off of his horse, and Lissa ran up to Robin, raising her staff over him. Guts did an overhanded swing at the beast, only for it to connect with the ground instead. It was as if he had disappeared. Guts looked around and saw the monster fighting with Chrom. The apostle dodged Chrom's swings like they were nothing, and he grabbed the prince's wrist with his left arm. The apostle placed his palm on Chrom's elbow and it snapped his sword arm at a ninety degree angle, causing the prince to scream out in pain.

Chrom dropped Falchion and was heel kicked in the nose towards the other Shepards, knocking a shocked looking Virion to the ground. How was this thing so fast!? Guts attempted to side swipe the grinning monster, only for it to duck under the swing. He rose up and elbowed Guts in the jaw. He saw stars, and Guts could feel something in him begging him to call on its strength.

He ignored the feeling. Guts felt that if he accepted the strength whatever it was offered, than he wouldn't just kill the apostle, but everyone around him. Vaike ran up behind the apostle and swung his axe downwards. Much to Gut's surprise, he connected, the axe half buried in its shoulder. Blood poured from the newly made wound.

"Class is now in session!" Vaike yelled smirking.

Guts went to cut the thing in half, but it jumped up, avoiding the slice. Vaike lost his axe as it jumped, leaving it embedded in its shoulder. The apostle twisted in midair, kicking Vaike in the face. Teach was knocked back into a tree, where he slid down unconscious.

"Looks like we were dismissed early." The apostle said, pulling out Vaike's axe while keeping that insane grin on its face. "Do you not remember me Guts? You don't remember poor little Mael? That makes me angry!" The newly named Mael yelled, throwing the axe to the ground.

Guts pointed his sword towards the demon, and noticed as two horses ran past him. Stahl and Sully both readied their weapons to strike Mael. The apostle twisted out of the way of Stahls sword swing, and grabbed Sully's spear from her hands, knocking the red haired warrior off of her horse in the process. Mael turned back towards Stahl, and threw the spear. The weapon impaled Stahls horse through the eyes.

The horse fell to the ground, with Stahls left leg stuck underneath it. Sully ran up and punched Mael straight in the jaw. Mael smirked. Guts ran forward as Sully was sent flying past him due to a powerful backhand. Guts swung at him again and again to no avail. He was fast enough to keep Mael on his toes, but not fast enough to hit him.

Mael was relentless, every time Guts _almost_ cut him in half, the apostle would retort with several strikes to his face. Was he supposed to be impressed with that? He was hit harder by a woman! An image came up of a woman with short black hair and a deep tan. She wore a scowl on her face as she struck him in the chest. Which actually turned out to be Mael striking him in the chest. Who was that woman just now? He felt a sense of… longing for her.

Guts swung horizontally and actually managed to cut off on of the little bastard's toes while he was mid jump. Maybe that would slow him down. At least he hopped so. Mael retaliated by kicking Guts in the nose. The smell of snow and decay turned to irony blood as it dripped from his injured nose.

Guts saw something flash from the corner of his eye, and watched as Mael was caught in the chest by a lightning bolt. The apostle was sent flying backwards, and stopped himself from flying further back by digging his fingers into the earth. Mael's insane grin was gone, replaced with a deep frown. He widened his eyes at Miriel, and charged past Guts.

The Black Swordsman turned as Mael ran past like a lightning bolt. The apostle raised his fist for a collision, but… something stopped him, knocking Mael flat on his back. It was as if he ran into an invisible stone wall. Guts looked closer and saw that it was no stone wall, but a man in full plate wielding a large shield and a spear. Where on earth did he come from? He had short black hair, and a blank, laconic face. Mael looked shocked, as was Guts. The man ran his spear through the apostle's gut, resounding in a monstrous scream of pain.

Robin, now fully recovered because of Lissa; ran up with Frederick on either side of Mael. Frederick stuck his spear into Mael's right arm, pinning it to the ground. Robin stabbed his sword into Mael's left hand, and stomped on the apostle's forearm.

"No! I will not die by your pathetic hands!" The apostle yelled.

Virion ran up behind the new arrival, and started firing arrows into Mael's midsection. Guts ran towards them, and readied his sword for the killing blow. At least, that was the plan. Guts watched as Mael began to grow larger. He sprouted long crooked nails from his fingers, and large bat like wings erupted from his back. Soon, it seemed that the apostle's new found strength was too much for the Shepards to handle. The beast stood himself up, and swung his newly grown dragon like tail in a circle, knocking everyone away from it.

Mael had changed, and somehow Guts just knew that this would happen. Mael was way larger now, at least four feet taller than Guts, and was wider than Frederick's horse. The raggedy pants that the apostle was wearing beforehand was gone, ripped apart by the sudden growth. His lower half was now covered in thick green fur, and had ape like feet. Mael's face surprisingly stayed the same, though now he had long, sharp fangs.

"I just hate having to use this form! I like being fast!" Mael yelled, stomping on the ground.

He charged towards Guts, and knocked his sword from his hands. Gut's saw as it flew off and embedded itself in a tree. His eye widened as Mael picked him up with both arms, and began crushing the life out of him. The man that had appeared out of nowhere charged behind Mael, spear at the ready. The apostle flapped his wings and began flying into the air to avoid his strike.

They were going up. Way up. Guts struggled to free himself from Mael's crushing grasp, but could not find the strength to do so. He could _feel_ his bones cracking. Mael grinned at him, and Guts leaned back his head. He brought it forward with all his might, and head-butted Mael in the teeth. He felt his forehead get cut up by the contact, and when he retracted he saw that a few of Mael's teeth were shattered. The apostle's grip wavered, but not enough to allow Guts free movement.

"Ah! You bastard!" Mael yelled, his head reeling back.

Guts heard another pair of wings flapping from behind Mael, and soon he heard a terrifying yell from the monster. He saw Sumia fly away from them on a Pegasus, readying for another strike with her lance. Mael's grip was loose enough to where he could smuggle his metal arm out of his grasp. Guts then struck at Mael repeatedly with his metal limb.

Guts got out his other arm and that was when Mael let him go. Guts looked back down to earth for a moment. They were at least one hundred feet in the air. He grabbed onto Mael's leg with his good hand on the way down. The apostle attempted to kick him off, but he was too busy trying to deal with Sumia, who was flying by and stabbing him every few moments.

Guts pulled himself up by grabbing onto Mael's green fur, and pulled himself up, holding on for dear life. Eventually, after much struggling, he found himself on Mael's back, between the two large flapping bat wings. He wrapped his metal arm around one of Mael's wings, and held his hand out to Sumia, who was flying by once more.

"Throw me the lance!" Guts yelled.

Sumia nodded, and tossed the lance to Guts, who caught it by the spearhead. It cut his palm, but there were more important things to worry about than a little cut. He stood up and stabbed the spear into Mael's back right through his spine using the spear to keep himself balanced. Mael yelled out it pain, and soon his wings stopped flapping. Mael twisted, throwing Guts off of his back, and towards the ground. Sumia flew under him in an attempt to catch him, but to no avail.

He missed the flying horse completely, and continued falling. Guts could hear Sumia screaming in horror. This was sure going to hurt…

Guts twisted mid fall to where his back was facing the ground, and braced himself for the impact. Once he collided with the ground, he could feel some of his organs rupture and his bones break. He yelled out in pain and his vision blurred the sky above him. Once it cleared, he could make out tree's surrounding him. He groaned as he sat himself up from the snow. How far away from the other Shepard's did he fall?

He stood up, and fell back to the ground on all fours, coughing up blood all over the snow. He needed to find his way back to the others…

"You piece of shit!" Mael yelled from behind him.

Gut's eye widened as he turned around to see the apostle standing over him. Mael lifted him up with his right arm and Guts could see that the apostle's wings were limp, as if they were wet towels. The spear was gone, that sure would have been useful right about now… He saw stars as Mael flung him into a nearby tree. Guts scrambled out of the way as the beast swung his large fist at him. The tree that Guts flew into fell over from the force of the blow. What was he going to do? Guts didn't have a weapon to fight him with!

Wait a moment.

Guts had to time this perfectly for it to work. Mael ran over to him and swung once more. Guts ducked under the swing, hearing a loud whoosh pass overhead. He pulled a rope that was connected to his metal hand, and aimed it at Mael's face. The metal wrist retracted, and a miniature cannonball flew out of it followed by a loud explosion of flesh and bone. Guts missed Mael's face, but he did blow off the apostle's right arm from the shoulder down.

Mael screamed out in agony and grabbed at the bleeding wound with his other arm. Guts ran up and pulled one of the numerous daggers that were stuck in the apostle's chest out. The dagger he held in his hand was simple yet firm. It would do. Guts went to stab Mael's right eye out, but he was interrupted when Mael delivered a rib cracking kick to his chest.

The wind was knocked out of him on the impact, and he flew back into another tree, sliding down the trunk. Gut's vision went hazy and he began to cough blood out onto the snow. He went to stand up from the ground, but Mael did not relent. Guts felt a large fist collide with his right cheek, had he not rolled with the punch, his neck might have snapped.

This surprisingly brought up another memory. This one of a battle with a large man in onion like armor. Two eye-holes was the only way he could see anything flesh, and the axe the man wielded was enormous. He remembered his name. Bazoozo. Guts swung his dagger in a stabbing motion in response to the blow. He didn't know what he was going to hit, and Guts didn't care. He wanted to _hurt_ this bastard!

' **You need me.'**

What was that? He felt a presence… it was… was it the armor? It was the same feeling that he felt earlier, but it was much stronger now. He felt something metal begin to close over his skull, like a retractable helmet. He felt as if he were losing consciousness.

…

"There he is! By the gods what happened here!?" Chrom yelled, still clutching his sore arm.

Lissa had healed it yes, but a complete break like that could only be treated so much with the little time they had. Back to the bloody scene that was before all of the Shepards. Everyone's mouth was held agape. The snow around the corpse of the monster they fought was basically a sea of red. Several slash marks decorated its body, and its eyes were stabbed out. Next to the body of the monster was Guts.

He was laying on his back shaking, and blood seemed to be exploding out from beneath his armor. His lone eye was white, and he was screaming in agony.

"Go help him squirt!" Vaike yelled to Lissa.

"On it!" Lissa complied.

She ran over to Guts, and cast the spell on him. She looked panicked when she saw that it did little to stem the loss of blood. Frederick ran over and pulled out an elixir from the pouch on his back. The blue knight popped the lid on the bottle and poured the blue liquid into Gut's mouth. In seemingly an instant, Guts ceased his convulsing, and all the wounds on his body closed.

The Black Swordsman laid there, unconscious.

"Holy hell…" Sully remarked, rubbing her sore jaw.

"He really is something isn't he?" Stahl said.

"Something is right! What is this man made out of? Steel?" Virion remarked.

"I wasn't able to catch him… but he still survived? Incredible." Sumia said.

"You were right to recruit this guy Chrom, with him and Vaike on your side, there isn't a thing that can take us on." Vaike said.

"Absolutely remarkable, this man requires much study." Miriel stated, jotting down notes.

"I helped too. Er… hello?" Someone said.

"Come on, take that armor off and get him onto the convoy. He needs some rest." Chrom said.

"We should probably clean off all that blood too… So who volunteers?" Robin asked.

 **Fucking done fucking finally for fucks sake fuck. Sorry everyone, I'm just happy that I got my laptop back. Also, since this is FE Awakening, that means that shipping is NEEDED. I've already decided some for plot purposes, but everyone else is free game, tell me who you want with who, and I'll see if I can sneak that in. Is Guts free game you ask? Still trying to figure that out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oi, you read this yes?**

Guts groggily opened his eyes. What the hell happened? He sat up and observed his surroundings. The ceiling was cotton, but the floor and walls were wooden, and several objects surrounded him. Swords, axes, lances, books, vials of odd liquid. He glanced behind him to see that his armor and gigantic sword were sitting side by side behind him. When he heard the rolling of wooden wheels underneath him and the clopping of hooves, he realized that he was in the convoy. Guts sat up from the makeshift mattress and opened the fold that lead outside.

He noticed that the snow was still there, but patches of land were beginning to show, signaling that they were entering warmer territory. Guts backed away from the fold. What happened to him? He remembered fighting with Mael… and then everything else was just a blank. He must have won if he survived right? Wait a moment…

Guts looked down at his bare torso. Where were all of his injuries? A battle like that should leave well more than a few bruises! Guts found himself staring at all of his scars. One on his chest in particular… A stab wound that was near his heart. An image popped up of a man wearing a hawk like salet wearing pure white armor on a horse.

Anger? Was that what he was feeling? It felt… mixed. Friendship, comradery, embarrassment, playfulness… betrayal. He slammed his fist against the floor in frustration. Why did the memories have to come back in chunks?

He got his armor and cape on, then picked up his sword, sheathing it at his back. That was when he saw a small man wearing a hood sneak into the convoy. He didn't seem to notice Guts at the moment. The man then grabbed a large sack of gold off of one of the food barrels. Oh…

He grabbed the man by the throat, resulting in a painful hack resounding from the thief. His eyes widened in horror. He walked over to the fold and threw him as far back as he could. The man's body rolled and Guts stepped out of the convoy. The thief booked it back down the road, tripping over snow.

Guts could care less whether he lived or died. He turned back around and began walking back towards the convoy. Lissa and Vaike came to the back of the wagon, and looked happy to see him up and about.

"Guts! It's so nice to see that you're okay, I thought you were a vegetable or something! Who was that guy?" Lissa asked him.

"Some thief. I scared him off." Guts responded.

Vaike smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Great job, usually the Vaike has to go chase them down, not today though." Vaike said.

Guts nodded in response.

"You've been out for a while Guts, we just got done talking with the Khan." Lissa said.

"Really? What did he say about the troops?" Guts asked Lissa.

"Well… we asked _her_ and she said she couldn't provide the troops we need until we win a tournament." Lissa said.

"The Khan was a woman?" Guts asked.

Lissa giggled.

"We weren't expecting it either. Robin was actually going on about how he imagined the Khan being some big warrior dude. Then she walked in at that moment! It was pretty funny." Lissa chuckled out.

"Basically he expected the Khan to look like Teach." Vaike said.

"Where is the arena?" Guts asked.

"Just look over the horizon big guy." Vaike said.

Guts nodded, and walked ahead of the convoy. His lone eye spotted a large coliseum in the distance, at least a mile away. He noticed that a large crowd was gathered around it, and they were all cheering. Guts walked faster, wanting to be at the front of the group. He passed the other Shepards and received praise and compliments for defeating the apostle, even from Frederick. Robin and Chrom were walking side by side, and Guts noted how Chrom's arm no longer looked as if it were snapped.

They both looked behind them and smiled at Guts.

"It's good to see you up and about Guts, I was thinking we would have to fight in the tournament without you." Chrom said.

"We probably would have been fine, but all the same it's good to see you with us again." Robin said. "Also, this is important to note, it's not to the death, just first blood, please try not to decapitate the other contestants."

"Well, it's not necessarily to first blood Robin. It's the first to surrender." Chrom said.

Robin rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, my mistake." Robin said.

"Do we know who we're up against?" Guts asked them.

"No, but we'll see once we're in there." Chrom said.

After that, the trio walked in silence until they were at the gates of the coliseum. The crowd cheered for them and parted for the Shepards. The convoy was left outside, Miriel and Sully saying they would make sure that no one would steal anything out of it. Guts could hear the whistling of several women coming their way.

Some cheered for 'Prince Chrom', some for 'the white haired guy', and the others for 'big sword guy.' Did they really not know Guts and Robin's names? And were they really the center of attention for all these women? Were they _that_ handsome?

They walked into the arena, and their ears were damn near blasted out by the loud cheering coming from all directions. Guts looked up at the audience and saw that they all weren't dressed like civilians, they all wore armor of some kind, and all bared weapons. This really was a warrior nation. That sounds like something that… _Zodd_ would enjoy.

Who the hell was Zodd?

He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts, he needed to keep focused. He looked to his opponents across from them and saw that they were donned in the same kind of attire as the audience, save for the one in the far back. Was that… Marth? Now that he was in the light, Guts could clearly see the armor that he wore was in fact like his. There were differences of course, such as the jaw like protrusion around the throat. Gut's was jagged like a wolf's canines, while Marth's was sharp and needle like. Almost like a dragons jaw.

He looked over to the other Shepards, seeing that they too noticed the mysterious blue haired man.

"Chrom look!" Lissa pointed.

Chrom nodded.

"I know, I see him." Chrom said, walking towards Marth.

Guts decided to sit back and observe for now. He saw Chrom draw his sword, and Marth his. The swords looked exactly alike, though there was no way that there could be two of the Falchion. Chrom insisted that it was the only one of its kind in all the world. So, if that's the case, where did this sword come from? Was it an imitation of some kind?

Chrom looked baffled, and charged forwards. Marth easily blocked the attack and threw Chrom off balance by kicking his left leg. Marth then thrusted his sword into the tear-drop shaped gap between the hilt and the blade. He pulled the Falchion out of Chrom's grasp, sending it flying ten feet away. Marth then held his blade at Chrom's throat. The prince gulped.

"Who taught you how to fight like that?" Guts heard him ask.

"My master." The blue haired enigma said.

Was it just him or… did Marth glance his way as he said that? Marth put his blade down away from Chrom's throat. This kid… was a master swordsman. Guts grabbed the hilt of his sword, and walked towards Marth. Chrom looked back to Guts.

"Be careful! He's the best I've ever fought." Chrom said.

Vaike looked offended.

"I'll be fine, grab your sword, and deal with the rest." Guts said, unsheathing his sword.

When it was in full view, the crowd cheered and he could hear people yelling out about how oversized it was. Chrom scrambled away and picked up his sword, starting combat with a warrior that wielded an axe. Marth stared at Guts for a moment before charging forwards.

Marth slashed at Gut's face, which he only barely dodged. Gut's retaliated by attempting to side swipe the blue haired swordsman. Marth dodged it by jumping upwards, and twisted in mid-air, kicking Guts in the face. He tasted blood coming from his right cheek as a result. He swung the flat end of his blade at Marth and knocked the blue enigma twenty feet away from him. Marth rolled on the ground then stood back up immediately.

A hit like that should have incapacitated him. Marth was tough, no doubt about it. Guts charged forwards, holding his blade behind his back. He swung it full force, with Marth only barely dodged by ducking beneath it. Guts could see that he had cut off a few of his blue hairs though. Marth rolled to the left of Gut's and jumped up, attempting to do an overhanded blow. Gut's caught the sword with his metal hand, and smashed his skull into Marth's.

Guts felt the mask crack, and when he retracted, the mask fell away from Marth's face in two pieces. Blood flowed down Marth's forehead, but the blue swordsman did not lose balance. Guts saw Marth's hair… flow down? When he got a clear view of his face, he could see that Marth was indeed not a man, but a woman.

She had a long streak of white in her hair, similar to the one Guts had. But that was not the only similarity that he saw. He looked into her right eye, and saw the brand. HIS brand. The one on the back of his neck in her eye.

She sneered, and bared her teeth.

"Who the hell are you?" Guts asked her.

"Shut your mouth and fight!" She yelled.

Marth struck Gut's in the chin with her pommel, and back pedaled, getting in a defensive stance. The crowds cheering grew even louder. Gut's charged forward, she parried, she retaliated, and he dodged. It went on like that for a while before one of Marth's men charged up behind Gut's. He was about to bring down his axe but was interrupted.

"Stay the hell out of this!" Marth yelled.

The man shrunk back in fear, and went back to fighting the other Shepards. Coincidentally, Vaike came up behind Marth and was about to bring back his own axe before…

"I've got this! Deal with the rest!" Gut's yelled.

Vaike looked surprised, but then smiled and gave a thumbs up. Teach ran off and beat down an archer.

He swung his sword downwards, but Marth sidestepped it, and she hopped up pommel striking Gut's ear. It rang with pain and he had to resist the urge to grab at it. So instead he grabbed Marth's blackish blue cape and flung her into the air. She flailed for a moment before righting herself and landing on her feet like a cat.

The cheering got even louder, then they fought again. Each time one landed a hit, the other would land one right back, soon, both Marth and Guts began to get covered in each other's blood. The Shepards then began to surround them. It seemed the rest had been dealt with.

…

Robin looked at the spectacle before him. He hadn't seen a battle this intense since Mael. Though now they were battling with swords. As it turned out, Marth was a woman, and for the moment, seemed to be a dangerous match for Guts. They matched each other blow for blow, and it was terrifying to hear the metal clang when they struck, for it was as if an unstoppable force met an unmovable object.

Robin readied a spell, and was about to cast it at Marth, but Gut's glared his way. He obviously didn't want anyone interrupting their little duel, and Robin really didn't want to make Guts angry. He cancelled the spell, reluctantly, and continued to observe. The way they both fought was different… but at the same time similar. It seemed as if they were both willing to do whatever it took to win.

Robin watched as Marth jumped on top of Gut's sword. She pointed the imitation Falchion at Gut's throat. It seemed as if Marth had won. The crowd began cheering for Marth, but then Gut's _bit_ the sword. Marth tried to retract the sword, but Gut's bite must have been like iron. Gut's twisted his head and ripped the sword out of Marth's hand. After that, he swung his sword upwards, sending her flying.

Still holding Marth's sword in his mouth, Gut's grabbed its hilt, and threw it as far away as he could. Robin saw as it stuck itself in the arena's wall. Gut's then got his sword in a batting position, and before Marth could hit the ground, Gut's hit her with the flat end of his blade. Just like he did earlier, except with noticeably more force. Marth rolled on the ground, but did not immediately get on her feet like earlier. She was on all four's when Guts walked over and kicked her in the side, sending her flying even further. She did not get up that time

"Impressive… and not at all surprising." Marth murmured.

…

"So you admit defeat?" Guts asked her.

"Yes… well fought." Marth groaned out.

Guts offered her a hand, which Marth took. He lifted Marth to her feet, and the crowd cheered out in approval. Marth walked off without a word, and drew her sword from the wall and left through the arena's gates. Gut's looked down at his armor, which was now covered in his and her blood. Fighting that woman felt familiar to him, as if he was fighting himself. However… that wasn't her full strength, Guts knew that she was holding back on him.

Why did she look at him when she said 'my master' to Chrom? Was it just a coincidence? Maybe she was looking at someone else, he would remember training someone like that.

He felt an energy wash over him, the same healing energy as when he first came here, and turned around to see Lissa standing there with her staff.

"Thanks." Guts said.

"Your welcome, and good job." Lissa responded.

"She's quite impressive isn't she?" Robin asked him.

Guts frowned.

"She was holding back." Guts said.

Chrom laughed.

"That's not possible, she beat me in just a few moments." Chrom said.

Guts sighed.

"If she was serious, she would have beaten you in fewer moments." He said.

"Careful, you might hurt his feelings." Lissa said.

"Lissa!" Chrom yelled.

"His feelings were hurt when she beat him in just a few seconds." He heard someone say.

He looked around the arena to see if he could find the source of the voice, but he saw nothing.

"Hello? I'm right in front of you." The voice said again.

Guts narrowed his eye until he saw that, indeed, there was a man in front of him. Wait a moment… this was the same man that knocked Mael over!

"Where did you come from?" Guts asked him.

The man sighed.

"My name is Kellam, I've been with the Shepards this whole time? I helped out with the battle. And the one before that, and the one before that…" He said.

"How come I haven't seen you until just now?" Guts asked him.

Chrom rubbed the back of his head.

"It's a… special skill that he has. Kellam here is the stealthiest man in the Shepards." Chrom said. "Honestly I didn't know he was here either."

Kellam frowned.

"It's not like I don't want to be noticed." Kellam said.

Guts felt dumb. How on earth could he not see such a large man clad in armor like that? It was… it was ridiculous! It would be like not being able to see Gut's sword, i.e. impossible! He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eye, taking a deep breath. When he opened it, Kellam was gone.

"Where did he go?" Guts asked.

"Really?" Kellam said, sounding offended.

Gut's squinted and saw him, standing in the same exact place.

"That isn't natural." Guts said.

"It's not natural to be able to hold that sword there." Kellam said, pointing to his blade.

Guts opened his mouth to say something once more, but was interrupted by a tan blonde woman wearing white and red armor. Her hair was held back in a ponytail, and she held a silver sword on her shoulder.

"Best fight I've seen in years, it's a good thing you were here…" The woman started.

"His name is Guts Khan Flavia." Robin said.

"Guts? The name suits you." She said.

So the Khan really was a woman then? She looked more capable than most of the other Shepards.

"Thank you." Guts said.

"Will we get our troops Khan Flavia?" Chrom asked her.

"Yes, I'll send them under your wing here soon. I hope Ylisse finds the extra troops to their liking." Flavia said.

Chrom smiled.

"Oh they will milady." Chrom said.

Flavia then walked away, out of the same gate as Marth, and then another man walked in. He was big, bald, and wore an eyepatch. He was brown, and his clothing left his chest exposed, though it covered the rest of his body. Around his neck was a bunch of strange white fluff, and he had an axe at his belt.

"Who are you?" Robin asked him.

"I'm the west Khan that you so rudely dethroned." The man said.

This was what Robin expected Flavia to look like. Another man walked up behind the Khan, and he wore very loose black leather clothing with a coat. His hair was black, and was almost long enough to cover his eyes.

He crossed his arms and glared at Guts, to which he returned the glare. The west Khan seemed to notice this, and let out a laugh.

"He's just upset because he couldn't beat Marth. Then again, it was probably because she was actually a woman!" The khan jeered. "Lon'qu is a bit uncomfortable around women."

"What? He's scared of women? Look at the guy!" Lissa said, approaching him.

"Get back!" Lon'qu yelled.

"Okay jeez!" Lissa said, stopping in her tracks.

"I've never met anyone who was scared of a woman. Let alone a swordsman." Guts said.

Lon'qu bared his teeth at Guts.

"To be fair, Marth was a woman to fear." Chrom said.

"Not Lissa though." Guts said.

"Hey!" Lissa yelled, stomping her feet.

"Enough!" The Khan yelled. "I'm going to lend you Lon'qu, he'll no doubt be a valuable asset."

Chrom looked to Lon'qu.

"And you're okay with this?" Chrom asked him.

Lon'qu huffed.

"I don't care." He said.

"Great, welcome to the Shepards Lon'qu." Chrom said.

…

…

…

Now they had to walk all the way back to Ylisstol. Not that Guts minded, though… things were getting odd. Not in the supernatural way either. He could feel tension between the other Shepards whenever they set up camp for the night. It was a familiar kind of tension, not the one felt before a battle. Whatever it was, it was irritating.

Guts sat up from his bedroll, and put on his armor. He lifted his sword off of the ground and slung it on his back. He stepped outside to see the other Shepards were already awake, packing up their tents. He saw Miriel walk by him, she held her arm as if it were locked with another. He squinted his eye, and saw that Kellam was walking next to her, their arms linked. Guts didn't know those two were together, good for them.

The Shepards had crossed the border three days ago, and they were well into Ylisse and out of the cold, just a few days more to the capital. Guts then felt another headache come on, this time with another memory… He leaned over and vomited after he was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. His brain felt like it was burning, as if something were being forced into his mind.

" _Ah… there you are… Guts."_ He heard a familiar voice say.

He felt blood explode from the brand on his neck. He screamed and felt his eye roll into the back of his skull.

" _Oh, I see, not yet then. Soon though, when you regain more of your strength, until then…"_

Guts fell forward face first, and lost consciousness.

…

Chrom walked into Robin's tent, said tactician going over his books.

"Guts passed out, that brand on his neck is covered in blood. I was wondering if you could find out about it. See what it represents." Chrom asked him.

"It's bleeding again? Doesn't that mean there's an apostle around here?" Robin asked him.

Chrom sighed.

"I sent out patrols and they all reported back, there wasn't anything. We're going to leave for Ylisstol in an hour, until then, could you see if you could find anything?" Chrom asked.

Robin nodded.

"Yeah, I can do that."

Robin then grabbed around his neck and looked panicked.

"What's wrong?" Chrom asked him.

"I lost my necklace!" Robin yelled.

"Again? Quit taking it off then." Chrom said.

Robin moved some papers around on his desk, and was relieved when he found his red egg shaped necklace. The nose, eyes, and mouth still made Chrom uncomfortable.

"That thing is creepy, I don't know why you're so attached to it." Chrom said.

Robin put it back on, hiding it beneath his shirt.

"I've had it ever since you found me, I feel like it's important somehow."

…

Lucina sat down and leaned her head against the back of the tree, holding Falchion close. She could feel blood running out of her eye and down her face. It hurt, and that meant that they were close. The night's sky somehow got darker, hiding the stars from her view. They were coming. Getting closer…

She stood up and held Falchion outwards.

" _The brand…"_ She heard something mumble.

She got away from the tree and looked all around her. She took deep breaths. It was like this every day, she had to calm down. Why did tonight have to feel any different? Maybe it was because she lost her mask… What was she saying? Guts would be ashamed of her if he found out she was acting like a coward because she lost her mask. All that training she went through under his tutelage should make her feel brave without that damned mask!

"Go away!" She yelled.

The beings laughed.

" _The brand, as long as you bear the brand, your anger… your sadness… your pain… even your fear, it's all ours."_ The demons all said, their voices layered on top of each other.

"Stop it! Just leave me be!" Lucina yelled.

A red phantom in the shape of a large skull appeared, and began laughing.

Lucina slashed at the thing, causing it to dissipate. That did not stop its evil laughter however. It carried throughout the entire forest. Lucina bared her teeth as she saw a mirage… of them… the _god hand._ One member after the other, Slan, Ubik, Femto, Conrad, and finally…

Short white hair, large horns protruding from his temples like Grima's own horns, and a long black robe. The thing looked up at her and smirked, its red dragon like eyes staring into her soul. Lucina bared her teeth.

"Robin…" She growled.

She charged forward and slashed the mirage, causing it to disappear. All of her willpower… it took all of her willpower to not murder him in that arena… The Shepards still needed him however, for now.

 **P-p-plot twist! Anyway, please leave a review, and please for the love of god point out any plot holes, I hate falling into those damn plot holes.**


	5. Chapter 5

**HIP HIP HURRAY! HE'S OFF THE MOTHERFUCKING BOAT! Also, yes, I uploaded this chapter before, but I don't like how I did it, I guess that's what happens when you stay up until five in the morning writing fanfiction. Plus my strep throat doesn't help.**

Gut's eye shot open. He sat up and breathed in and out rapidly, causing the thick white blanket that he was sleeping with to fall into his lap. How many times was he going to pass out!? It was getting irritating. He looked around at his surroundings to see that he was in a white stone room. Daylight poured in through the large open window next to his soft bed. He looked to the opposite side of the room and saw his sword along with his armor leaned up against the stone wall. He stood up and cracked his back before walking over to his gear.

How long was he passed out for this time?

He got his equipment on, and opened the brown wooden door to the room which led out to a hallway. Green banners hung down from the walls in the hall, and unlit torches stood beside them. Banners like that must mean they were back in the capital right? He shook his head in an attempt to make himself less dizzy, but to no avail.

That voice came out of nowhere and claimed to know who he was, but what Guts hated was the fact that he didn't know who it was. Actually… he hated everything about his situation. Guts was stuck in a land that he knew nothing about, he had none of his memories from before meeting the Shepards, and the memories that he did get weren't even coming back in chronological order. He needed to kill something soon.

Be it enemy soldiers or apostles.

Guts walked along the hall and noticed that it indeed was Ylisstol. Which meant that he was at least passed out for a couple of days. What was happening with the Shepards? He continued his wandering through the halls of Ylisstol's palace, until he finally came across Chrom. The prince was pressing his forehead against a stone pillar and he looked distressed, clenching his teeth. Guts narrowed his eye and walked up next to him.

"What are you doing?" Guts asked.

Chrom sighed, and took his head off the pillar, looking Guts in the eye.

"I'm just under a lot of pressure, Lissa's best friend was just taken by Plegia… and Emm is going to parley with him." Chrom said.

Guts raised an eyebrow. Taken by Plegia?

"Who are you talking about?" Guts asked him.

"The Mad King Gangrel." Chrom said, his words like venom.

Guts knew that a man that spoke in that kind of tone was out for blood. He could just feel the hatred seeping out of Chrom's voice. Guts sighed.

"Well, let's go get the squirt then." Guts said.

He didn't particularly care about Maribelle, but he knew that her welfare was important to the other Shepards. Plus, seeing how he was a 'temporary' member of the Shepards, that meant that her welfare should be his concern as well. A unit that wants to work towards the same goal can get much more done.

Chrom smiled at him.

"Yeah, let's go, we'll deal with whatever comes our way like we've always done." Chrom said.

He walked past Guts, and the Black swordsman turned to him.

"Come on, we were just about to set out, it's convenient that you've woken up just now." Chrom said smiling.

Guts narrowed his eye at Chrom. He'd… seen a smile like that before, on another face. He shook his head, walking forward next to Chrom. It was time to see to this Mad King Gangrel.

…

Guts laid back in his bedroll, rolling around and trying his best to get some sleep in. It had been a long walk, and his feet were covered in small blisters. The terrain that lead into Plegia was mostly mountains or steep cliffs, uphill treks becoming the norm. Not only that, but it was getting hotter and hotter the farther in they went, he had heard from Robin that Plegia was a desert nation, and Guts loathed that thought.

He never really liked sand.

It was a full moon tonight, and the rays from the celestial body shone through the ceiling of his tent like sunlight. It was brighter than normal, and he couldn't help but feel that something was supposed to happen tonight. Though nothing came.

His head began to ache again, and he closed his eye in an attempt to mitigate the pain. An image came up of a woman with brown skin, long black hair, and a brown robe holding a child with longer, blacker hair. She seemed to be holding the boy away from something… or someone. His heart hurt thinking about it.

He heard a rustling coming from somewhere in his tent, and he stood up immediately. His eye scanned the tent in an attempt to locate the source of the noise, but he could not spot it. Guts heard the rustling again, and looked to his armor. A long tuft of black hair stood out from behind it, then he saw the face of a small child poke out from behind the right greave.

Gut's eye widened with the realization that it was the same boy from his memory flash not a moment ago. He didn't feel threatened by the toddler's presence, far from it in fact. He felt calm, as if a piece of himself had just returned to him. He felt an odd connection with the child, as if it were…

His head hurt again, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. When he opened his eye, Guts saw that the child had waddled over to him. Now that the boy was in full view, Guts could see that he wore nothing. He furrowed his brow at the child, who just stared at him wide eyed. Those eyes… were so black.

He grabbed his temples and suppressed the urge to scream, as the pain he was feeling now was intense. It was as if someone had driven a sword through his skull, but he survived to feel the pain. He could hear words beginning to form in his mind, but they were not his own.

" _So that's your son then?"_ The memory said, not revealing the speaker.

His son? Guts looked into the eyes of the boy once more. Black, like his, and like the woman's in the image earlier. His hair was like his as well, only longer, and his face looked a perfect combination of his and the woman's facial features. He had a…

"Son?" Guts said, his eye widening.

The child's eyes widened with surprise, and his formerly blank expression formed into a small smile. The kid walked forward hesitantly, and soon found himself standing next to Gut's legs. The child looked up at him, and Guts blinked. When he opened his eye he saw that the child was clinging to his right leg with his legs wrapped around his calf.

Guts rubbed the back of his head, and awkwardly walked over to his bed roll. He pulled off the thin brown blanket, and got the child off of him. His son looked at him with confusion, then Guts wrapped him in the blanket, making it appear as if the child were wearing an oversized robe.

Where did the boy come from? Did he sneak into the tent while he was sleeping? The boy's eyes glistened, and Guts coughed awkwardly.

What should he do now?

He knew this kid was his son, he just knew it. If that was the case though, then he would have to take care of the boy, he was the only thing that linked him to his past besides his possessions, and… well, he was his son. Guts couldn't just abandon him here in the middle of nowhere. It was wrong.

A couple of hours passed by, the entire time, he was trying to get answers out of his son. He didn't say anything, and Guts gave up. The boy was a mute, someone incapable of speaking. The sun shone through the flap of the tent into his remaining eye, and he turned to look at it.

"It's the morning…" He muttered, looking back to where the boy was.

He was no longer there, his son had disappeared. Gut's eye widened, and he looked around the tent frantically. He ran over to his armor and checked behind it, he wasn't there either. Guts clenched his teeth and tore his tent apart in an attempt to find his son. He flipped everything around, and when he was certain that the boy wasn't in the tent, he attached his metal arm, then exited the flap.

He looked to the left and the right, but he wasn't around the campsite. Unless he went into another one of the tents. Guts ran through the camp, his eye scanning every single crevice and dark corner the boy could have hid himself in, but he was nowhere. There was no way that the kid could have just been in his imagination, he was real!

He fell on all fours and looked up into the sky, baring his teeth in anger. His son was the only living person he had seen from his past besides Mael… Even if the boy couldn't answer his questions, Guts didn't want to part with him. The sky was a deep shade of blue, nary a cloud in the sky, and the sun shone a magnificent orange.

He beat his metal fist on the ground and screamed in rage.

"Guts? What are you doing?" A voice said from behind him.

He stood up and turned around to see that it was Lon'qu. The swordsman had just gotten out of his small, brown tent, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He wore the same garb that he wore for battle, so that must have meant that they doubled as pajamas.

"Go… away." Guts growled out as he stood up.

Lon'qu furrowed his brow at the black swordsman.

"Don't talk to me like that. We're comrades in arms are we not?" Lon'qu asked him.

"If you don't shut it, I will fucking kill you. Get away from me." Guts said, venom seeping from his voice.

Lon'qu's eyes widened a fraction. The Feroxi swordsman clenched his teeth.

"You won't kill me, you aren't that kind of man." Lon'qu said.

Guts felt his nostrils flair.

"Just leave me be." Guts seethed.

Lon'qu looked down to the ground, then back up to Guts. When the black swordsman saw Lon'qu's eyes, he took a step back. They were blacker than the darkest void.

"Bye daddy, I'll see you soon." Lon'qu said, before an odd sensation washed over Guts.

The feeling wasn't unpleasant… just odd. It was as if he were hot and cold at the same time. Lon'qu fell on all fours and vomited last night's dinner all over the dirt. The swordsman then began to scream in pain, it was blood curdling, much louder than Gut's yell. The scream echoed throughout the entire camp, and Guts saw tent flaps opening all around them.

Lissa stepped out, half asleep and still in her odd yellow button up pajama's. Lissa saw Lon'qu on his side, and her eyes widened so far that it appeared that she had no eyelids. She disappeared back into her tent, then came back out with a staff. The short blonde stumbled over to him as fast as she could, and cast her healing spell, sending a wave of energy over his body.

The other Shepards came out, all wearing nothing but their nightwear, but bearing weapons all the same. Robin stumbled out of his tent, his right eyelid half closed, and was holding a tome, looking all around the camp frantically. He was still wearing his long cloak, which meant that those too, must have also doubled as pajama's. Sumia charged out of her tent wearing green pants, and a white short sleeved shirt. She was screaming, ran at nothing with her spear raised, and ended up falling on her face. Chrom stumbled out of his tent, blocking the sun from his eyes while clutching Falchion. The prince was shirtless, but had a blue blanket hanging off of his right shoulder.

Vaike charged out of his tent wielding his axe, and wore the same chains and no shirt as usual, yelling something about 'Vaike time.' Miriel just peaked out of her tent calmly, looked around, sighed, and then went back into her tent. Stahl walked out of his tent holding a half-eaten loaf of bread in his left hand, wearing his regular green armor, and holding a spear in the other. Guts couldn't see Sully anywhere, she was most likely still asleep. Somehow.

Frederick rode in on his blue armored horse, and looked around the campsite confused, Virion following soon after. Guts pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. This was going to take a lot of explaining. Or not. He didn't want them to think that he was hallucinating his mute, disappearing, Shepard possessing son. The boy possessed Lon'qu… and said that he would be back soon. But how soon was that exactly?

Lon'qu stood back up, and wiped the traces of vomit off of his mouth, he looked around at the Shepards in confusion.

"By the gods Lon'qu! What was with that screaming just now!? You woke the entire camp!" Chrom yelled.

Lon'qu looked down to the ground and shook his head. "I have no idea. Everything just went black for a moment there…" Lon'qu said.

"Perhaps it's best you rest a while in the convoy when we're traveling." Frederick suggested.

Lon'qu scoffed.

"I'm fine, I'm just confused." He said.

Guts furrowed his brow, it was as if he never even remembered his threat to kill him just a few moments ago. Robin looked to Guts, and rose an eyebrow.

"Do you know what happened? You were the first one out here I believe, and your tent is on the other side of camp. I could have sworn I heard you screaming earlier as well…" Robin said.

Frederick coughed to get everyone's attention.

"That is the reason I charged over here from my morning patrol. My lord, I heard someone screaming when I was doing my rounds by lady Emmeryn's own tent. So I rushed here for fear of an enemy attack." Frederick said.

"Mind explaining this Guts?" Chrom asked him.

Guts felt a bead of sweat pour down his forehead as practically the whole of the Shepards stared at him, awaiting his answer.

"Same as him, I can't remember why I'm out here." Guts lied.

Robin's eyes narrowed.

"Why was it just you two who were affected? Why not the rest of the Shepards?" Robin asked him.

Guts bared his teeth at the white haired tactician. This was really starting to make him mad.

"You're all pissing me off." Guts said.

"'Pissed off' isn't explaining this Guts. We need solid answers." Frederick said, narrowing his eyes at the black swordsman.

"You're going to get a 'solid' sword through your gullet if you don't lay off blue boy." Guts growled.

Stahl ran in between the two.

"Let's just all calm down here okay? Guts says he doesn't remember, so that's that. What reason does he have for lying guys? Come on, let's just go make some breakfast. Then second breakfast." Stahl said.

Chrom sighed.

"Please everyone, let's just calm down. We are almost to the Border Pass, after we get Maribelle back, we can hopefully head home. Let's just forget about this business for now, we'll deal with it later." Chrom ordered.

…

Stahls second breakfast was more enjoyable than the first one, he was really a good cook. Sully had offered to help the green horseman with the cooking, but Stahl insisted heavily that she _not_ help with breakfast. Guts wondered why. He looked ahead past Chrom and Robin, seeing a large group of soldiers clad in mostly animal furs.

He had mistaken them for bandits at first, but Chrom insisted that this was what Plegian soldiers dressed as. There were a few others who donned thin robes and capes, holding purple books at their sides. There were even a few who rode on the backs of large, dragon like beasts. Robin had told him that they were not dragons, but Wyvern's, a cousin species to dragons he was guessing. He felt like he fought something akin to a dragon before, but he couldn't quite place who or what it was. On the highest cliff in the pass, there was a man wearing thick garments standing there, an insane grin plastered on his face. His hair was a dull red, with a thin goatee, and he wore a gold crown on his brow.

His garments were… flamboyant. Black fluff surrounded his neck, and a thick, white stripe traced down his shirt, black stripes on either side. His nails were sharp, like an evil sorcerer, and the petal like pieces of cloth that sprung out from under the black fluff made him appear like a walking flower.

That man was king Gangrel. No doubt about it. Only a king could make himself look like that much of an ass. A woman stood behind him, scantily clad, with purple marking all along her exposed body. What little clothing she did where was pure black, and on her head she wore a black hood with a black crown encircling it. Her hair was as white as Robin's, and she had a sultry aura.

To Gangrels right was a man with straight, black greasy hair that reached down to his shoulders. His eyes were sunken, and black bags encircled his eyes. Unlike the rest of the soldiers around them, he wore a blood red cloak that covered his entire body. The sleeves were large, like Robin's own sleeves. His skin was almost as white as Robin's hair, and his eyes were bloodshot, and his iris's were yellow.

The brand stung once he saw him. Stopped in his tracks and he stopped Robin and Chrom with an outstretched hand. They both looked at him in question, and Guts pointed to the man on the right of the mad king.

"That man is an apostle. Be on guard." Guts said.

Chrom and Robin's eyes widened, presumably with fear, and Chrom nodded, rushing over to his sister. Robin doing the same. Guts loaded his repeating crossbow as Emmeryn spoke with Gangrel, and he prepared for things to get shaky. The apostle wouldn't go down with just arrows alone, but protecting Emmeryn was the main objective here. They would at least slow it down, and the other Shepards could handle the human soldiers.

Guts saw Maribelle on the cliff just above him. Her hands were bound, and two of the fur clad Plegians stood on either side of her. She attempted to pull off the ropes to no avail. His attention went back to the apostle in the red robe. Did the Plegians know what kind of monster they had in their presence? The hot sun beat down on Guts, and he felt some sweat beginning to form on his brow, not just because of the heat, but from fear of what the apostle was going to do.

Would it do anything? It hasn't said a thing since the parley started. Guts hadn't been paying attention, but he looked to Chrom and saw him cut down one of the Plegian soldiers that approached Emmeryn. The other troops that were behind the now dead man backed up a few paces, and Chrom shouted a warning.

The mad king gave an insane, bellowing laugh.

"Looks like I have my war! Prepare to die!" Gangrel yelled.

Guts aimed his metal arm at the monarch, hearing the clicking of the bolts alighing, and fired. The first arrow flew high and far, and penetrated his thigh, the second his shoulder, then the third and last one was near his heart. The mad king fell backwards, and presumably drew his last breath. Maybe a dead king would discourage a war, or encourage it. Either way, in war, it was a good thing if the side he was on killed the enemy leader.

The man wearing the red cloak grinned down at the corpse, and he whispered something to Gangrels body. Guts saw the king lift his hand to his neck, meaning that the last arrow wasn't a fatal one. He saw Gangrel rip something out from under his ridiculous garments, and saw as he rubbed it with his wound. The woman with white hair took a step back, and the apostle grinned madly.

Guts eye widened when the entire sky went black, and the area that surrounded the evil trio became engulfed by that same blackness. The Plegian's all looked in awe at what had just happened, and Guts could hear a few screams come from both sides. Something bad was going on, Guts just knew it.

He had experienced something like this before… with the count. An image came up of Guts painting the brand on a womans decapitated head, and he threw it to a large bald man who sat up above a large crowd. The count grabbed the head with one hand, and crushed it soon afterwords.

That thing was an apostle. Was Guts a demon hunter back before all of this? It would certainly explain a lot. Some of the scars he had could not have been received from regular battle. He heard footsteps charging his direction, and turned to see Robin coming up right behind him.

"Guts! Do you know whats happening up there? What is the apostle doing to the mad king?" He asked.

Gut's eye widened with realization.

"He's making Gangrel one of them!" Guts yelled, turning back to the event that was transpiring on the top of the cliff.

He placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, and charged towards it, if there was a chance he could stop this, then he had to take it.

 **It is done.**

 **Now everyone, if Guts is going to have a relationship with one of the characters from Fire Emblem, I need it to have good reasoning. Write in the review who Guts should be with, and give a valid reason for it. I want you to CONVINCE me why it would be great.**

 **Also, now that good ol' Miura has the ball rolling on Berserk again, I've never been happier. But there is also a drawback to this. I don't know the future, so I cant promise that this story won't diverge from the future canon of Berserk.**

 **Future readers of this story, know that this Fic started when Guts was stuck on that boat. Whatever comes after that may differentiate from this fic. As cool as it would be, I cant read the future.**

 **Even though it would be cool as fuck if I could.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I have returned. Now, I've taken a few** _ **risks**_ **with this chapter, nothing major mind you, but I expect at least one or two of you to be butt hurt.**

 **On with the story.**

Guts charged forward, feet pounding against the rock and sand beneath his feet as he rose up the slanted hillside. His brand leaked blood that ran down his neck, and he forced himself to go up faster. The Plegian soldiers that stood in his way were sucked towards the black orb surrounding Gangrel. One after the other, they were pulled towards it.

Guts furrowed his brow as he remembered that this wasn't how it was supposed to be… Gangrel had to… sacrifice someone he truly cared about to become an apostle. Yet random Plegian soldiers were just getting sucked towards it, it wasn't supposed to happen like that either… The only men that were spared this fate were the ones that rode the Wyverns, the only reason for that being was their beasts pounding their wings furiously to stay away from the vortex, which was growing larger and larger.

When Guts just barely started scaling the second slanted cliff, the orb had turned blood red, and started shrinking. All of Gangrels foot soldiers were gone, sucked into the continuously shrinking red orb. Red spikes shot out of it, making it appear like a giant crimson caltrop. By time he had ran through the small fortress to reach the Mad King, the orb was gone, and in its place stood Gangrel, now a giant of a man.

He towered over Guts by at least five feet, and his eyes were an insane green. His garments remained the same, only larger, but three large green spikes protruded out of his back and shoulders. His skin had become paler, and his hair became an even brighter shade of red. He held a large blade at his side, as long as Gut's own sword, but more slender. The blade curved downwards from the gold hilt like a snake, and it crackled with lightning.

The red cloaked man and the white haired woman stood next to him. The man gave a mad chuckle and the woman backed away a few paces, her eyes widening in fear and awe.

His brand stung as he held his sword out to face the newly turned apostle. Gangrel looked down at his new body with wonder, and his mouth contorted into a sick smile, showing pearl white teeth.

"So, this was the power you offered. I should have done this from the beginning!" Gangrel laughed.

He pulled off his necklace, and threw it to the man in red, who caught it with one hand. As it flew between the two monsters, Guts saw that it was a Behelit, though this one was purple instead of red or green. How many kinds of Behelits were there?

"I'm happy to have been of assistance, just remember your part of the bargain. Your new master's strength has yet to return, and the only way to bring him back is with blood." He said.

"You just want me to kill as many of _his_ kind as possible right?" The king said, pointing to Guts. "I can do that! Hell, I'll start right now!" Gangrel yelled, jumping high in the air with his blade raised.

Guts brought his sword up to block the strike, and the two blades collided. Guts felt his feet sink into the sand as the force that Gangrel brought down on his sword collided. The monarch kicked Guts in the chest as his feet touched the ground, knocking the wind out of him and knocking the Black Swordsman back a few feet.

Guts rolled on the ground but stood upright as soon as the motion ceased. Gangrel gave another mad grin which threatened to split his face open. He heard footsteps and the clopping of hooves behind him, and he turned his head to see Chrom, Robin, and the rest of the Shepards running up the hill to his location.

That couldn't be said about Maribelle, which was riding in the opposite direction along with a young boy wearing a large brimmed hat. He looked to be no more than fourteen or fifteen, and he clutched Maribelle's waist for dear life. Where did he come from?

His attention turned back to the Shepards

Apparently they hadn't learned a thing since the last fight with an apostle. He turned back to Gangrel, who was charging forward at a remarkable speed. The newly made apostle jumped high in the air, and held his curved sword towards the sky. Lightning struck the sword, and Gangrel launched the bolt at Guts.

He barely rolled out of the bolts path, looking at its striking point, he could see that the sand had been turned to glass. He couldn't let that lightning touch him. Guts grabbed a throwing knife off of his bandolier, and threw it at the mad king's head.

The small blade found purchase as it punctured the Monarchs right eye. Gangrel let out a horrible howl of pain that echoed out across the desert. He landed feet first on the sand, sending it flying everywhere. He reached up with his free hand and ripped out the throwing knife, spurting blood from his eye. He crushed the knife with his massive fist, and glared at Guts.

"You wanted to make me match you eh!? I'll strike out your other eye for this you dastard!" Gangrel yelled, charging at him once again.

"Stay back!" Guts yelled at the Shepards.

"We can't let you fight him on your own! Let us help!" Robin yelled, spell glyphs surrounding his body.

The rest of the Shepards began to steel themselves, and rode towards the giant insane king.

Guts charged toward that apostle, and Gangrel slashed downwards, in the hopes of splitting him in half. Guts brought up his sword with his metal arm and blocked the blow, unsheathing the dagger he had at his belt. Gangrel tried to kick him once more, but the Black Swordsman anticipated this, and barely side-stepped out of the way of the blow.

Before Gangrel could pull his leg back for another go, Guts had stabbed the dagger into his knee. He twisted the dagger into the bone as much as he could before Gangrel could get his leg away from him. The Mad Monarch stumbled back away from him, his leg now limp with the dagger still embedded hilt deep in his knee.

Gangrel ripped out the knife, and growled at Guts like a rabid wolf. Guts saw as a bolt of electric energy launched itself at Gangrel, which was no doubt Robin's spell. The Mad King batted it aside with his curved blade like it was nothing. Guts then heard a whistling sound, and saw as an arrow whizzed past his ear. The arrow found purchase in Gangrels other eye, blinding him completely.

Guts quickly turned his head, seeing Virion give a bow, his signature smirk plastered on his face. Gangrel howled and raised his sword up, conjuring lightning. Before Guts could react, a bolt of lightning had flown past him, and hit the still bragging archer in the chest. He heard a yell of pain as the blue haired braggart was sent flying from the force of the blow.

"Virion!" He heard Chrom yell.

When he had turned his attention back to Gangrel, he was gone, hopping along the cliffs as if he were never blind in the first place. Disappearing over the horizon. The man in the red cloak gave a mad chuckle, and gave Guts a knowing look. He jumped after the mad king, and the white haired woman seemed to have hitched a ride with one of the wyvern riders, flying after them with all due haste.

"Damn it all!" Chrom yelled, running back to Virion.

The other Shepard's gasped, and followed after him, all surrounding the blue haired archer. His breathing was ragged, and he stared at the sky with foggy, distant eyes. He reached upwards toward it, and gave a sad smile.

"My dearest Rosanne… I have failed you…" He uttered.

"Rosanne? What is Rosanne?" Chrom asked the archer.

Frederick coughed.

"It is a country across the sea, on the continent of Valm my lord." He said.

"Virion! Stay with me!" Stahl yelled, grasping the archer's hand.

"So… he's the Lord of Rosanne? What's he doing here?" Chrom asked, his brow furrowed.

Guts narrowed his eye, and walked over to the downed archer, who continued his grin. The cloth on his chest was burnt off, and the skin beneath it was as well. All Guts could see was bone and blackened skin, much of his lungs were fried as well, and it was a miracle he could speak.

"Read… the letter…" Virion mumbled, his eyes closing. "Give it to… Cherche… tell her that… I'm sorry…" He said, his eyes now fully closed.

Guts saw a letter poking out of the archer's pocket. He reached down and pulled it out.

"I'll do it." Guts told him.

Virion smiled.

"Thank you… Guts… She has pink hair… and rides a wyvern she calls Minerva… Please find her…" He said, his breath ceasing.

Guts frowned, looking down at the letter in his hand.

Lissa had rushed to his side, and propped his head up in her arms, holding the dead archer's mouth open, she uncorked the lid on a bottle and poured the contents down his throat. After a few moments of silence, Lissa began to tear up. She placed a finger on his neck, presumably to check for a pulse.

"He's gone…" She said, tears rolling down the sides of her cheeks.

Stahl ground his teeth, and began to tear up, along with most of the other Shepards.

"Dammit all!" Chrom yelled, falling on all fours.

Robin looked solemn, and scowled, looking away.

"I failed him…" He muttered. "All those games of chess… dammit!"

Lon'qu did nothing, just nodding at his passing. Lissa was full on bawling over the noble's corpse. Sully actually looked surprised, and frowned, staring holes in the ground. Vaike screamed something about burying his axe in Gangrels skull, and Kellam was nowhere in sight. Miriel merely adjusted her glasses, and sighed. Sumia was losing her lunch all over the dirt, tears and vomit mixing together beneath her. Frederick walked over to his body, and lifted him from the ground.

"We should bury him, but not in a place like this." Frederick said.

"Agreed, anywhere but here… let us make haste back to Ylisstol! We have a war to plan!" Chrom yelled, standing up from the ground.

Guts sighed. In battle, it was rare for a side to never have a casualty. Poor man. The Black Swordsman vowed to find this Cherche, and deliver the note, but first, he needed to kill that bastard Gangrel. Guts put the letter into his shoulder bag.

Guts looked down the hill, and saw the small form of Emmeryn and Maribelle speaking. The boy was behind the blonde healer, smile plastered on his face. It was too bad that the smile would no doubt soon be replaced by a deep frown. Today has been horrible… but still not his worst, he could tell.

Another head splitting headache surfaced, and an image flashed in his mind, the same scene as before. A black sun, a giant hand rising out of the earth, a deformed person floating above each appendage. A lake of blood and gore, and what was worse… the woman that came up in his memories… was being raped by someone he knew. The name was still lost upon Guts though, but he knew that he _hated_ him. Those cold, red eyes made him want to kill something.

Pure anger rose up in his chest, and he had to resist the urge to scream in rage. Gangrel was definitely going to die, that was guaranteed, and if he ever saw the man who raped his woman, he would die too. It was so _frustrating_ the fact that he couldn't bring up the bastards name. Even though it felt as if it were on the tip of his tongue.

…

…

…

After a few days of hiking across rugged terrain and camping, they had finally found their way back to Ylisstol. They had buried Virion, as they said they would, on a little hill under an apple tree. His gravestone epitaph was written by Frederick, and read as followed.

" _Here lies Virion of the Shepards, a brilliant ally and friend. The Archest of Archers."_

The funeral was depressing. Though what funeral was cheery? Guts had read the contents of the letter long ago, and his mind still hadn't changed. He was going to find this Cherche, and give the letter to her after this business was said and done.

He was laying in his bed provided to him by Emmeryn; staring holes in the ceiling of the room that he had awoken in previously the last time he fell unconscious. It felt odd to have a room, his body wasn't used to it.

The morning light came through the window, and Guts sat up from his bed, letting his blanket fall into his lap. He stretched, and cracked his back. He got up, equipped himself with all of his gear, and left. Guts wandered around the courtyard of the palace for a while, seeing the other Shepards training with wooden swords and the like.

Eventually, Vaike had come up to Guts to speak with him, a cheery smile plastered on his face. He held a wooden sword to Guts hilt first, and held his wood axe over his shoulder.

"Whaddya say? Wanna train with me? It think it'll be fun." Vaike said.

For the first time in a while, Guts allowed himself to smile, gripping the handle of the small training sword. They walked over to an open area with enough space to practice, and the blonde got his axe ready, giving it a few test swings. Guts grabbed the hilt of his blade, and laid it out across the ground away from them.

He removed his black cloak as well, laying it on top of the hunk of iron he called a sword. The other Shepard's ceased their training, and looked to the two about to do battle. Guts hadn't used a training sword for a while… he could tell. The familiarly massive weight of his blade was lost on this wooden training sword, it was so much lighter.

He allowed himself a few test swings as well, chopping through the air vertically and horizontally, until he got a good feel for the much smaller weapon. Vaike cracked his neck both ways, and held his axe at Guts. The Black Swordsman did the same, holding his sword out in front of him.

The Shepard's were all silent, and they were all present, looking at the two with wonder.

"Kick his ass Guts!" He heard Sully yell.

He turned his head to see the red-head with both hand's placed over her mouth.

"Do your best Vaike!" Stahl yelled.

"Thanks Stahl old buddy! And Sully… have a lil' faith wouldja?" Vaike asked, scratching his cheek.

Guts took in a deep breath, and let it out. Vaike turned back to him, and held his axe in a battle ready position. They both charged at each other, and Guts disarmed Vaike with a single blow, finding himself holding his practice sword at his throat.

"Swords beat axes Vaike. You should know that by now." Frederick sighed.

Vaike let out a huff of defeat.

"You're just too good Guts, no one here can beat you-"Vaike started.

"Maybe that is something we should all find out then? Everyone! Form a line, every single one of us will take turns facing Guts." Frederick yelled. "If you can fight even _slightly_ on par with him, then any foe will fall before you easily."

Guts sighed.

"I guess I don't have anything better to do. Come on then!" He yelled.

"I'll put you face first in the dirt big man!" Sully yelled, walking towards Guts with her wooden practice spear.

She held it far in front of her, allowing her the reach advantage. Guts took a deep breath, and Sully charged at him. She swung, and Guts easily batted it away with a single swing. Sully was knocked off balance and Guts took the opportunity to move in, tapping her on the neck with his sword.

"Dead." Guts said.

"No fair!" Sully yelled. "You just got lucky that time!"

Frederick laughed.

"Next please!" The knight-butler yelled.

Stahl came up, holding a practice sword as well. He gave a knowing smirk, and Guts furrowed his brow.

"I know that I probably won't win, but I've gotta try!" Stahl yelled, charging at him.

Guts parried the first blow, and dodged the second, bringing his sword up to the green armored cavaliers chest.

"Dead." Guts said.

"Wow Stahl." Sully chuckled.

"I lasted longer than you did." Stahl pointed out.

"That doesn't mean nothin' you turd!" Sully yelled.

"Jeez calm down." Stahl said.

One after the other, the Shepards each had a turn fighting against him, Guts winning in one or two strokes at most. When he fought against Frederick though, it took him three strokes to win. They all spent the rest of the day trying to get past his defenses, but found that they were unable to do so. They were all wiped out, sitting down on the ground in a circle, with Guts standing in the middle. The only ones that had enough energy to stand were Frederick, Chrom, and Robin. However, the blue haired lord and the white haired tactician were only barely able to do so. Frederick had the endurance of a horse, not even seemingly winded.

Guts rubbed his chin in thought.

Did he fight against Kellam?

"That was a great training session everybody! I'd like to think that we've all grown stronger for it. We'll continue with this routine until Emmeryn gives us permission to march on Plegia." Chrom announced.

He heard several of the Shepards groan with complaint.

"Milord!" He heard a man yell.

Guts turned and saw a man rushing towards Chrom, when he was just a few feet from the prince, he stood up.

"The Exalt wishes to speak with you… and him." The messenger said, pointing to Guts.

"She wants to speak with just us? Why?" Chrom asked.

"Someone showed up that knows him!" The messenger yelled, pointing at Guts. "They're waiting in the throne room for you milords."

The Black Swordsman dropped his training sword immediately, and hoofed it as fast as he could towards the throne room, leaving Chrom behind and running through the twisting hallways of the palace until he finally found himself in the large open room.

Emmeryn was speaking with an incredibly large man. He wore his hair in a Mohawk pony tail, and had a sleeveless shirt on, showing off his massive muscles. Guts narrowed his eye, then Emmeryn spoke something to him. The massive man turned, and Gut's eyes widened.

Memories of this man came flooding back immediately, drinking together, fighting together, arm wrestling… Guts had watched him die in that vision though! His back was torn open by that Count bastard! His face was square like, and despite his large size, he was calming to look at. He kept his eyes shut, much like Kellam did, and Guts found his name flowing out of his mouth.

"Pippin!" He yelled.

 **Virion is dead, Pippin is alive. Why though?**

 ***Ahem***

 **Anyway, I think I've decided on a girl for Guts. Buuuuuttttt…**

 **I know that if it's not the one YOU want him to be with, you'll probably unfollow the story based off of just that huh? Well Sally…**

 **You're just going to have to deal with it.**

 **If you're bothered by it THAT much, then just write your own Fire Emblem Berserk crossover. No seriously.**

 **There are PLENTY of you following this story. I'm pretty sure that a few of you have the talent to make it great. I do actually want other stories in this section, I'd read it. Seriously, I'd love it if more Fire Emblem Berserk stories showed up. It would be like finding a dead prostitute under the Christmas tree.**

 **I mean a present.**

 **Yeah. A present. Ignore that last bit.**

 **Also…**

 **Can we get some fan art? I would LOVE that more than you know.**

 **Toodles.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ima start replying to reviews now. I realize that I am really bad at that. I just want you all to know that I appreciate all of your support. Now, onto the first one…**

 **Guest: Very well done, enjoying the story and its plot twists greatly. Can't wait to read more of it.**

" **Teehee, guess who's getting a decapitated horse head for Satan day? That's right, you are."**

 **Iron fangs: I'm happy that you're enjoying the story sir, and yes, you should write them. Also… I picked someone that NO ONE suggested for Guts… so… yeah."**

 **Ath3Beast: Don't worry. I'm not big on romance either, so when it happens, it's going to be low key as FUCK. This is a fic about kicking ass and horrible tragedy; the romance won't be nonexistent of course. I can't just be like "Oh and they fell in love n' shit" Because you know what that'd make me? A retard.**

 **Sds716: HE SAID IT! HE'S ON A WHOLE NOTHER FUCKING CALIBUR! Thank you so much for saying it, I guess you could say that I was… "Waiting so long" for someone to say that. I'm glad you're enjoying this shitty fanfiction.**

 **Forzarismo: Nope. Not at all. Uh-uh. Someone else. Sorry.**

 **(Lost one follower)**

 **Shit.**

 **Mad thought: If you like those twists, you're going to LOVE what I have in store for later! HAHAHA**

 **WildWind1855: Oh stop it you.**

 **Dead Pann: First off, gotta say I like your reviews. (Ahem) Karate class? You train in the art of beating the shit out of people? Awesome. Yeah, Virion got cocky. It was because he thought he was a pro at Dark Souls. Fucking noob should have dodge rolled to be safe. Stupid scrub. Don't worry; I'll try to make the romance as vomit-worthy as possible for you. That will either be a good thing or a bad thing because this would be my first attempt at this 'romance' thing you people like so much.**

 **TuxedoGreymon: Did you say… making fuck?**

 **Krulla Chief: You're too relatable with that review bro.**

 **Guest: "Noic3"**

 **Me: Thnx m8**

 **AlternativeFutureFan27: hahaha…. No.**

 **I've been thinking about it and there is just no way I could make that one work. Sorry.**

 **TheAlmightyDork: I value your opinion on the matter. But pissing on flaming hookers is WAY funner.**

 **Zeroth17: Sorry, I thought I had made that obvious.**

 **Selias: Don't worry, after this chapter I'm going to edit the shit out of the previous ones. Adding more detail… fixing more punctuation… the good shit. The things cocaine can do… I actually just got Dragon age in space through the mail, and I am enjoying it.**

 **Guest: I guess Guts should end up with Lucina. Apparently, he's her master and she did show that his opinion mattered to her somewhat. They seem to have things in common in this fic, and let's be straight; wouldn't it be cool as hell if they got together?**

 **Me: (Takes a deep breath) NOOOOOOOOOOO! No no no. No! That wasn't at all what I had in mind. Maybe they would make for a good pairing in another fic, but not in this one. That kind of relationship isn't what I'm looking for in this story at all between them. Sorry.**

 **Ert: Already sent you a PM bro.**

 **(Hacks up blood)**

 **Anyway, now that's out of the way, read this shit.**

"Pippin… how the hell are you here?" Guts asked, looking up at the giants face.

The last time Guts had seen him alive… Pippin stood a whole head taller than he did. Now it was only half a head difference. They dwarfed everyone in the room. Chrom looked up at him and smiled.

"Please Pippin; anything you can say would be of great help to my friend." He said, gesturing to Guts.

Guts clenched his teeth in anticipation as the giant opened his mouth to speak.

"I was drug up… from hell." Pippin said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "By someone… I cannot remember their name or what they looked like… all I remember from the experience is the color black… and a heartbeat." Pippin said, his voice sounding strained.

"Drug up from Hell?" Emmeryn asked him. "Do you remember anything else about your experience?"

Pippin furrowed his brow.

"No… I remember nothing except for him… and my name." Pippin uttered, pointing to Guts.

"I saw you die… I can remember that, and the time we shared together! Do you remember that?" Guts asked.

"Yes, I can remember that, and not much else." Pippin said.

"How is it that you came to be here?" Chrom asked him.

"I awoke in the streets here yesterday. I wandered the city until I saw you all travelling towards the palace. I've been waiting to get in here since then." Pippin said.

"Why didn't you just get my attention then? Why wait until now?" Guts asked.

"I would have… but I saw a man beating another man in an alleyway. After I stopped it, you were gone inside the gates of the castle. The guards wouldn't let me in until today; they were telling me that you were all attending a funeral." Pippin said.

Chrom and Emmeryn looked to the ground.

"Yes, we all were." Chrom said.

Guts felt an odd sense of… guilt upon seeing Pippin. Could it be that he let him die? No… that couldn't be it. The guilt he was feeling now made him feel as if a mountain was crushing his chest. It caused him to clutch his abdomen in an attempt to quell whatever was causing it. The attempt failed. Chrom, Emmeryn, and Pippin both looked to him with concern. He let out a breath, and felt a tear streaming down his face. Guts staggered, nearly falling on all fours, but held himself up on his shaking legs.

He had done something terrible…

"Holy shit!" Look at the size of that guy!" Guts heard Sully yell from behind him. "His arm is bigger than Lissa!"

He quickly wiped away the tears and stood himself up straight. Taking a deep breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and quickly shoved it off of him. Chrom stumbled, and furrowed his brow at the Black Swordsman.

"What is wrong?" Emmeryn asked him, her face flashing with concern.

"Guts?" Robin asked, running up next to Chrom.

Soon, the entirety of the Shepherds were crowding around him and Pippin, rattling off questions faster than his arm mounted crossbow. He clenched his teeth, grinding them together as he tried to flush out all of the voices. They asked who Pippin was, asked how they knew each other, and if he remembered his entire past. They all talked over each other, the only ones remaining silent being Chrom and Emmeryn.

"I know Guts." Pippin answered.

The chattering continued, they asked Pippin how he knew Guts, and he answered as best as he could. That didn't satisfy them however. The Shepherds rattled off more questions, to the both of them that he did not have the answer too.

His rage built as the yammering continued.

"Shut the fuck up!" Guts yelled.

The constant yammering ceased as his booming voice echoed throughout the hall. Everyone stared at him wide eyed, save for Pippin of course.

"Shut your damned traps! I'm sick and fucking tired of you questioning me about my past. I don't know, Pippin doesn't know, and that isn't going to suddenly change in an instant you idiots! Get the fuck out of my way!" He yelled, shoving his way through the crowd.

He felt a hand grab his wrist, and he pulled his arm from the grasp. He turned his head and saw Robin standing there looking confused. Guts reared his head back, and brought it forward, catching the tactician in the nose. Robin was knocked to the ground instantly, his hands holding his bleeding nose as he groaned in pain.

"Don't you ever _fucking_ touch me." Guts growled out, turning his back to the Shepherds.

"Guts!" He heard Chrom yell. "You can't just do that to a comrade!"

He stopped in his footsteps, and shot a sideways glance at the prince.

"Leave me alone." He said, continuing to storm off.

He could hear massive footsteps approaching from behind him.

"Wait for me." Pippin said calmly.

…

…

…

Robin rubbed his still slightly sore nose. Lissa had told him that it was a complete break after she healed it, so it was still going to be sore a while. The text he was reading of battle tactics was becoming harder and harder to read as his eye lids became heavier and heavier. The weight of sleep was heavy upon him. His mind wandered back to that of Guts. Robin wasn't particularly mad about what he had done, but he was surprised.

He and Pippin left for the training grounds hours ago, and were still speaking to one another. Maybe they could both dig something up from their pasts by talking about their experiences. Robin could only hope. He looked to the odd egg shaped necklace on his table next to the book he was buried in, and sighed.

The torch above the desk grew dimmer, and Robin looked outside of his window. The moon was full, and shone light down on the earth. He wasn't quite yet ready for bed, but he couldn't continue to read this tome. He stood up from his wooden chair, the pegs screeching against the stone floor. He stretched his arms upwards, and let out a yawn.

Robins hand soon found his necklace, and he put it on around his neck, forgetting to tuck it under his shirt as he usually did. The tactician found his way to the door, twisted the doorknob, and stepped outside into the hall. He walked the property for a while, and then decided to take his walk outside.

The smell of freshly trimmed grass filled his nose, and he let out a smile. Everyone else was presumably in bed, except for Robin, and no doubt Pippin and Guts. After a fair bit of aimless wandering, he found himself sitting on a stone bench surrounded by the palaces garden. Strawberries, fruit trees and all manner of other vegetation surrounded him. The environment calmed him, and he let out a breath.

"It's a fine night isn't it?" Robin's eyes widened, and he quickly looked behind him.

A man stood right behind him, smiling down at Robin with full lips. His eyes were a piercing red, demonic really, and his pure white hair was long enough to reach his back. His face was round and effeminate compared to most other men. The stranger wore pure white plated armor, white wings protruded from his shoulder plates, and more wings were etched along the upper part of his greaves.

Robin felt like he was being crushed under the massive weight of benevolence that the stranger radiated. Something about this man made him feel at peace; as if all was right with the world. He had to resist the urge to kneel before him.

"I can understand your surprise. It isn't every day that you meet another man with white hair." He said.

"Who're you? How did you get here?" Robin asked him.

The man let out a small laugh, his red eyes finding the necklace around Robin's neck.

"My name is Griffith." He said.

Griffith? What an odd name, but very fitting. Griffith sounded similar to griffin, which may be why his armor was etched in such a fashion. His armor made him look as if he were about to take flight. Griffith stuck out his hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Robin." He said, smiling.

Robin's eyes widened with surprise.

"I didn't tell you my name." He said.

"You didn't need too." Griffith said. "Your reputation precedes you."

"You've heard of me?" Robin asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yes I have. You're the brilliant tactician of the Shepherds. I had wanted to meet you for a while now." He said. "I must say that you remind me much of myself, though I think our dreams are different."

"Dreams?" Robin asked.

"Aspirations, a final goal, your want in life. What is that to you Robin?" Griffith asked.

Robins breathing halted for a moment. His dream? He really never thought about it before now… Robin stood with his shoulders hunched in Griffith's presence for what felt like eternity. He broadened his shoulders once he figured out what it was that he was fighting for.

"World peace. No more fighting, no war, a paradise. Where people wouldn't slaughter each other just because one man looked at another man funny. I fight for that." Robin said.

Griffith chuckled.

"My that is a lofty goal, certainly a much more difficult one to obtain than the one I seek." Griffith said.

"And what is your dream if I might ask?"

Griffith looked all around the garden of the palace, and smiled.

"My own kingdom." Griffith answered.

Robin laughed.

"I already took you for a king of some sort when I first laid eyes on you. Where are you from exactly?" Robin asked.

"A land so far away from here that if you traveled around this world for your entire life, you would never find it." Griffith said.

"That's vague… Who was it that let you into the palace? No one had ever mentioned your being here." Robin asked, furrowing his brow.

Griffith merely laughed in response.

"A friend of mine." Griffith answered.

"I don't mean any offense… but I'm going to need you to quit being so cryptic. For all I know you could be here to kill me." Robin pointed out.

Griffith put up his hands.

"Have no fear. I am not here to harm you. However… that man back there is." Griffith said.

Robin furrowed his brow and turned his head, seeing a red hooded man closing in on him with an iron dagger drawn. Robin jumped backwards, and he saw a flash of white rush past him. A sleek steel rapier found purchase in the assassin's throat, and Griffith twisted the golden hilt. The stranger gurgled up blood on his bearded face, his brown eyes widening with surprise. He withdrew the blade, a small amount of blood staining the tip of the sword.

He wiped the blood off on the assassin's cloak, and sheathed the blade, turning back to Robin, who was staring at him wide eyed.

"Know this Robin. If you would pursue your dream of world peace, it will change you. The pursuit of my own dream certainly has. Now go, I'm certain that the Exalt is under threat. I would stay to help… but I have business elsewhere that requires urgent attention." Griffith said.

Robin heard footsteps coming from behind him, and saw two more of the cloaked men with daggers standing there. He drew his bronze blade, and adopted his fighting stance, using both hands to hold the blade at his side. He turned his head to request Griffith's aid, but the enigmatic man was gone. As if he had simply vanished into thin air.

When he turned his head back to the enemies that had appeared, they had closed the distance, and Robin strafed to the left side of the first man's vertical strike. The blade cut through the air where Robin once stood, and slashed his own sword across the man's torso, cutting through his ribcage. The assassin fell to the ground and spat up blood, tears streaming down his face.

"Father no!" The second man yelled.

Robin widened his eyes, and backed away a few paces from the freshly made corpse. The second assassin rushed over to the dying man, and propped him up in his arms, tossing his blade aside. Robin studied their faces, the now blood covered mans face on the ground below him was broad, just like the boy gripping his hand. They both had the same brown eyes, and slightly hooked nose.

"Hold on dad! Please hold on!" His son yelled.

Robin put a hand over his mouth. What had he done…?

The older assassin gave his sons hand one final squeeze, and then his fingers went limp. His son took deep, ragged breathes, and pulled the sword from the old man's grasp, charging at Robin with an intense fury.

"You bastard!" He yelled.

Robin barely was able to pull himself out of shock to parry the first blow aside.

"Wait! Please just-"

"Shut your damned mouth Ylissean scum! I'll kill every fucker in this palace! You, the prince and princess, and the whore you call Exalt!" He yelled.

The assassin stepped forward with the pointy end of the blade facing Robin's chest. The tactician side stepped it, and sliced of the sword hand with one clean stroke with an upwards vertical strike. The decapitated hand landed next to its former owner, who cried out in pain. The assassin got down on one knee, and clutched the leaking stump with his remaining hand.

Robin brought the blade to the boy's throat.

"Stop this! Surrender!" Robin yelled. "I don't want to kill you!"

The boy let out a mad laugh.

"You don't want to kill me?" He questioned.

The boy then rammed his throat into the blade, resulting in the sickening sound of metal penetrating flesh; spurting blood on Robins clothing and across his cheek.

"You did it anyway… bastard." He said, falling to the floor next to his deceased father.

Robin looked to his blood covered blade, and back down to the bodies. Crimson still stained his cheeks, and he wiped at it with his wrist.

"I'm… so sorry…" Robin said eyes wide in shock.

He stood there, staring at the corpses for five minutes before he shook his head. War wasn't black and white. There was no pure evil nor pure good side, and in war, someone innocent always got caught in the crossfire. Robin knew nothing about these men other than the fact that they were father and son, so he couldn't call them 'innocent' and yet…

He still felt as if he had done something terrible. He tucked his red necklace under his white cotton shirt, and took a deep, shaky breath. His dream was world peace, and he would fight for that.

 **Cut this chapter in half with a well-placed swing of the dragonslayer. Don't worry, the second half will be up soon. I just wanted to get this out to you because I know how much you like this fic. You fucking ficheads. I know you guys like your twists, and I like em' too, but I am TERRIFIED that I will fall into some kind of plot hole. If I do, please point it out so I can fill it.**

 **Also…**

 **Great news.**

 **I may be getting one of my book ideas published. I haven't finished the actual book yet, but the guy who wants to publish it says that it's a pretty original idea. Keep in mind that it isn't my story 'Crimson Strider' that I'm talking about. This idea of mine hasn't been posted anywhere yet.**

 **Anyway…**

 **The plot continues to escalate.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I swear to god that every time I update this fic I lose five followers. What the fuck am I doing wrong guys? At least TELL me why you unfollowed before you just fucking bail, and then I can fix whatever it was for future readers.**

 **Also… I'm thinking about writing another FE Berserk crossover, this time with Fates. Should I do it guys?**

 **RESPONSES.**

 **Meowfyre: Come on, at least take it better than Casca did. Oh shit… too soon?**

 **Seer: Ser, I do believe you need to English better.**

 **Dead Panne: Don't worry dude, I'm not putting him with any of the future kids. That's always been kind of a stigma for me. I have no idea who Jotaro is dude, so that reference is lost on me. Griffith is here, and he has big plans. Yes, the desert stages will suck cock. Anyone else hate Laurent's level? Anyway, if I do the DLC levels, I'm probably going to wait until the fics main story is over. Think of them as bonuses. I assumed that you might be wondering if I would implement them somehow, and I will, just not until the main story has ended.**

 **Bloodwolf752: Yes, his asshole IS prodigal.**

 **Also, if Guts and Lucina in this fic were to have a class, it would be Struggler. It's not a real class in the game but whateves.**

 **P.S. I was on T.V Tropes the other day and saw that my fic was in the recs. This gives me a massive boner. Thank you.**

"I don't understand how we're here Pippin." Guts said. "Ever since I showed up here there has been this hole in my memory… its coming back, piece by piece, but it isn't coming back fast enough. I'm losing my mind." Guts said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

They were both sitting in stone benches across from each other, both holding their arms crossed over their large chests. Guts had his sword leaning against the stone wall next to them, and the trees that surrounded them gave him a sense of odd safety. The thick, veiny green leaves cast shadows beneath them from the light of the full moon. The cool night air felt good on his rough, scarred skin.

"Do you get flashes from your past as well?" Pippin asked, furrowing his large brow.

"Yeah, you've had some?" Guts asked him.

Pippin let out a sigh. There was a long silence between them, the only thing that made any sort of noise being the crickets in the background.

"Earlier today… I remember fighting you." Pippin said, furrowing his large brow.

Gut's eyes widened by a considerable margin.

"Fighting me? I don't remember that…" Guts said.

"I do, me and others were fighting you… I don't remember why, or where. All I remember is a field of faces, and a giant monster with stitched shut eyes…" Pippin uttered, sweat pouring down the sides of his face.

"It hurts me to try and recall what had happened." Pippin said, clenching his teeth.

"Same here. It is coming back though. Bit by bit, piece by piece. Hopefully soon we'll be able to remember who we really are." Guts said.

Pippin smiled for a moment, but then it turned into a deep frown. All of the sudden, Pippin swung his left fist backwards, catching a masked red hooded man in the ribs midair. The assassin had jumped through the air with his blade raised, ready to sink it into Pippins back. The giant had heard him before he could do that, and reacted with that strong swing of his fist.

The man hit the wall of the garden, the shockwave knocking Gut's sword to the ground, resulting in a large clanking sound. The man fell to the ground, presumably dead. A small crack was created in the wall where his body struck it. Pippin had killed him as if he were swatting away a fly. Guts grabbed his sword, and looked all around the tops of the trees, seeing another man attempting to slink away.

Guts grabbed a knife from his bandolier, and threw it at the assassin. The small blade found purchase in his the back of his knee, and he lost balance, slipping and falling from the branches. He landed right in front of Guts, and attempted to roll away. Guts grabbed the man by the hood, and tugged, sending him flying towards Pippin. The giant caught the assassin in his hands, and restrained his arms.

Guts drew out the dagger at the assassin's belt, and held it to his throat.

"What the hell is going on!?" He demanded.

"You're going to kill me anyway you bastard!" The man yelled.

Pippin then yanked one of the assassin's arms out of its socket.

"Dammit! We're trying to kill the Exalt you asshole! Now let me go!" He yelled.

Guts gave a mad tooth filled smile.

"We'll have questions for you later; we can't just let you walk out." Guts said, raising up his fist.

The assassin's eyes widened with fear. His fist crashed into the assassins jaw, knocking him unconscious. He went limp in Pippins grip, and the giant let him fall to the ground. Guts picked his sword up from the ground, and took a deep breath.

"We can't let them kill Emmeryn Pippin. Let's go warn the others before it's too late."

…

…

…

Lucina took a deep breath, feeling the now all too familiar pain of her brand bleeding. Blood ran down her right cheek, and she closed her right eye shut. He was near. She looked out around the gates of the palace, but saw nothing. She clenched her teeth as she heard blood curdling screams coming from past the closed palisade.

She drew Falchion, and prepared herself. The gate burst open, chunks of wood splintering all over the stone courtyard. A large armored man was struck with a force so strong that it shattered the six inch thick wooden gate. He landed a few inches from her feet. His body was mangled, his armor broken into pieces. His bottom jaw was missing, as if the monster had decided to kill the man with his fists instead of his blade. Several men came running through the gate out of fear, running right past her into the palace without paying her any mind.

He came through, a mountain of a man. Rippling muscles, a cat like nose, eyes the color of blood, spiky black hair, and a large sword with a curved edge. It was him, without a doubt. She walked towards the apostle, doing her best to quell the feeling of uneasiness that beset her. The monster continued walking towards her as well, his head tilting in question.

"You have the brand." Zodd said. "I can sense it."

He let out a chuckle. She held out Falchion, and gripped the hilt tight. Lucina knew why Zodd the Immortal had come here. She knew quite well.

"Interesting. Very well, I accept your challenge!" Zodd yelled. "Do not disappoint me, I have a real battle ahead, and I will not have my time wasted."

Lucina clenched her teeth in fury.

"You'll never live long enough to reach it!" She yelled, charging forward.

Her feet pounded against the pavement, and Zodd swung his sword horizontally, hoping to cut her in half. Lucina ducked under the swing, and gave her own horizontal slash, cutting into his thigh. Blood sprayed outwards and she jumped away as soon as her roll came to an end. She turned to face the apostle, who was giving a fang filled smile.

"Perhaps this shall be more interesting than I thought! Fight me with your all!" Zodd yelled.

"You will die today you bastard!" Lucina declared, charging towards him once more.

The apostle's blade clashed with Lucina's own, sending sparks flying. Zodd was far larger than she was, and held the reach advantage. However, she was of no doubt faster, and her blade was easier to maneuver. If all else failed, she still had the armor… but Guts told her to never use it unless it was a truly desperate situation.

Their blades clashed again, and again, sending sparks flying. They lit up the night and Lucina could feel her hands begin to lose feeling. Each blow that she blocked from Zodd threatened to send her flying away, yet she stood her ground. She ducked under another slash, and delivered a quick slash across Nosferatu's gut. Blood spilled from the gaping wound, and she felt something collide with her side, sending her flying.

She realized that she had been kicked when she had landed. Lucina coughed up blood onto the concrete, and the soreness of her ribs indicated that some were shattered. Her eyes blurred, but she shook her head, and when they were back into focus, she widened her eye.

She rolled out of the way of Zodd's attack which had been aimed at slashing her in two. His sword was buried into the stone, cracks forming as a result of the collision. She willed herself to stand, and went back to clashing with the apostle. The battle was so fast that the average human eye couldn't hope to track it.

It was as if two blurs were dueling with each other, the sparks between them showing the ferocity both warriors fought with. Lucina felt sweat everywhere on her body. She stood her ground, blocking and dodging while delivering quick precise blows to the apostle. They were both covered in blood, most of it being Zodd's.

The kick from earlier still pained her, and somewhat slowed her movements, however, her plan was soon beginning to bear fruit.

Zodd raised his blade for another blow, but his red eyes widened with shock when it flew out of his grasp. Lucina flashed an insane tooth filled grin.

"Hard to wield a sword if all the tendons in your wrist are cut isn't it?" Lucina asked, doing her best to draw more breath.

Zodd looked down to his cut up arm, and smirked.

"Yes! Never before has anyone disarmed me in such a fashion." Zodd said, his voice giddy.

His body then began to contort and grow. Red fur grew over his skin, and he grew a few more feet in height. Only one horn stuck out from his skull, the other just being a stump. Zodd's face grew more cat-like, similar to a lion. Large claws protruded from his paws, and his feet had turned into hooves.

This was his second form. Lucina took another breath, and let out a yell, the moonlight causing Zodd's massive shadow to be cast over her. She would not let the mantle of The Black Swordsman to fall here.

"Now, what else can you offer me!?"

…

…

…

Emmeryn gasped with surprise as she watched Guts decapitate, slaughter, and outright kill any of the attackers that dare entered her chambers. Pippin was standing guard outside the front door; Fredrick had given him a mace, which the giant was all too happy to use. At one point Guts could have sworn that he saw Chrom talking with one of the enemy, but that just couldn't be.

Several marble pillars dotted the hallway outside the side entrance of the Exalts room. The damned things were everywhere, so it made it hard for him to maneuver his blade into slicing and dicing properly. Guts then remembered that he had been in a situation like this before, he was battling a long haired slender blonde man, and he was slashing the pillars apart.

Blood was splattered all over the pillars he was looking at now, along with his armor, sword, and the doorway he was standing in. Decapitated body parts and gore decorated the area like a sort of messed up confetti party.

After two more of the enemies were slain, he saw Robin speaking with a scantily clad woman. She wore a purple breast plate and little else. She seemed to have excess body hair and odd lines on her face. Her hair was brown, and she had an odd thick white string braided through them. Guts squinted as Robin pointed to Guts, and the girl nodded, sprinting over to his position. She looked up at him and she narrowed her red eyes.

"I'm to take over guarding the Exalt man-spawn. You're needed on the front lines." She said.

Guts wasted no time, and ran forward, turning the corner, running between pillar, and finding himself outside. He saw Robin and Chrom fighting three men with books. They all had the same sort of glyphs that surrounded Robin when he cast a spell, so that meant that these must've been mages. Gut's loaded his hand crossbow and let off a few bolts, catching one of the red hooded men in his bare chest.

He dropped to the ground dead. Chrom took the opportunity to close in to the second spell caster, who was distracted by Gut's appearance. The prince delivered a quick slash to the mages throat. Blood spurted out immediately, staining Chrom's white shoulder cape.

Robin ran up to his target, twisting out of the path of the enemy's fireball, which dissipated as it hit a wall. The tactician held his sword below his belt with both hands, and when he was within swinging range, he jumped with his strike. The sword slashed the man's chest open, and launched him into the air along with Robin, who jumped up with the strike.

The mage fell on his back and Robin twisted mid-air, landing on both feet. He twirled his bronze blade, and let out a sigh. Chrom looked over to him, and tilted his head.

"What's wrong Robin?" Chrom asked.

"It's… nothing. Let's continue on." Robin said.

Chrom sighed as well.

Guts looked a little closer at Robin. His hands were shaky, and he was clenching and unclenching his teeth. The killing was starting to get to him, and Guts could tell. His mind wandered back to that of the hairy girl from just a few moments ago. Guts could tell that she wasn't human, the red eyes alone gave that away, however, she wasn't an apostle, his brand didn't bleed when she drew close.

Guts realized that she had no weapon. How was she to fight off the enemy if she couldn't even defend herself? Maybe there was something about her that was different in that regard. Perhaps she didn't need a weapon to defend herself. Guts shook his head; he had to focus on the fight at hand.

He ran forward with Robin and Chrom, and continued slashing apart the enemy.

…

…

…

Lucina knew that Zodd would be strong; Guts had told her numerous stories of his might when she was a child, but this was ridiculous. No matter how many times she cut him, the bastard just kept on fighting, and with every blow that Zodd landed, she felt more bones break, and more organs rupture.

She struggled to stand up again, taking a look at the devastated courtyard. Cracks in the walls and ground were everywhere, and pools of blood dotted the landscape. She let out a pained breath, looking up at the monster she chose to face. Zodd the Immortal stood over her, growling as she used the Falchion to support herself.

She coughed up more blood into her free hand, and clenched her teeth, glaring at Nosferatu.

"So… that is all you have to offer?" Zodd said. "Don't act so meek girl!" He yelled, throwing another massive swing at her.

She barely rolled out of the way of the blow, the strike crushing the ground. Chunks of stone flew, and one caught Lucina in the forehead. More blood dripped from the fresh wound, and she attempted to blink the white from her eyes. She clenched her teeth once more, and strafed backwards out of instinct.

Zodd's fist was embedded in the ground once more, and Lucina sprinted forward, jumping up on his hand and running up his right arm. The apostle widened his red eyes, and Lucina took advantage of the shock, stabbing him in his right eye. Blood spurted from the wound, and Zodd let out a yell. Lucina didn't stop there however; she withdrew Falchion, and she rammed it through Nosferatu's nose, the blade exiting through the roof of the monsters mouth.

She felt a large hand wrap around her, and she felt herself fly through the air as Zodd threw her. She collided with a wall, and felt more of her insides threaten to turn into pudding. She vomited up more blood after she hit the ground. Lucina strained to look up, and saw Zodd pulling the blade from his maw. He tossed the blade, and it landed in front of her.

It seemed that some apostles had a sense of honor after all. Zodd held his right eye closed, like Lucina did, and blood poured from his mouth. She grabbed the hilt of her sword, and stood once more, breathing like an animal.

Zodd approached her again, but looked to the sky, as if something had just grabbed his attention. Zodd looked back to her, and sighed.

"We will have to continue this another day girl." The apostle said.

Large bat like wings grew out of his back, and he took to the air, his large wings creating enough wind power to nearly knock her down. Lucina let out a pained laugh as she saw the monster fly away from the city. She may not have been able to kill him, but she did keep him away from Guts, and she hurt the fucker good.

She sheathed Falchion, and limped away from the palace towards the shattered gate. She looked back at it for a moment with disdain in her eyes.

She hated this place, and Lucina couldn't be happier to leave.

…

…

…

They had done it. Every single one of the enemy had been slain that he could see. Guts looked around at the chaos they had caused surrounding the three of them. The dead were everywhere, and he caught Robin staring at their corpses. His eyes were wide, and his jaw slightly unhinged. His black cloak was stained with their blood, and his eyes moved to his sword holding hand.

Guts walked over to him, standing right behind the tactician.

"It gets better. Eventually you get numb to the killing, and you will soon. There is going to be a lot more of it." Guts said.

"…Why?" Robin asked him.

Chrom looked to his friend.

"Because we're at war." Chrom answered.

"Why does there have to be war? Why is it that we have to kill each other… can there be no true peace?" Robin asked.

Guts sighed.

"That's just how human beings are. We're hateful and violent towards each other, that's just human nature, and you can't change nature. No matter how powerful you become." Guts said, narrowing his eye at him.

Robin looked to the ground.

"There has to be a way to attain peace… There just has to be." Robin said.

"We could fight for a future like that, but to do that we'll have to deal with Gangrel." Chrom said.

"You would be fighting for something impossible." Guts said.

Robin and Chrom both looked to Guts with shock on their face.

"You really don't think it's possible?" Chrom asked.

"I don't think that it's impossible, I know it is. Mankind is willing to hurt each other just for being a little bit different. What was the reason for your last war with Plegia?" Guts asked.

"They worshipped Grima… A dragon god of destruction. My father labeled them heretics, and waged a-" Chrom started.

"Crusade. One of the most ridiculous reasons for war." Guts interrupted. "Religious difference is one of the most common reasons for killing someone else."

He remembered more about the man with the square face and round hat from earlier. He tortured and killed people he branded heretics. His name was… Mozgus.

"There has to be a way to stop the killing!" Robin yelled, his eyes conveying desperation and anger.

"There isn't. As long as people have an excuse to hurt each other, they will take it. You don't realize how bad people can be, how petty, or how violent. Some men kill others just for fun, that's just a fact Robin, and you can't change facts." Guts told him. "We will always be ugly towards each other, no matter what level of 'peace' we obtain."

Robin's eyes went back to staring at the floor, and Chrom put a hand on his shoulder.

"There is always a solution to every problem, there has to be one for this too."

Guts scoffed, and then widened his eye as he saw a tall man behind Robin begin to cast a spell. Guts ran forward, and pushed him out of the way of the blast, knocking him to the ground. The fire hit Guts in the chest, but it dissipated, not even knocking the Black Swordsman back an inch. If it had hit Robin however, the damage would have been catastrophic.

The mage who cast the spell looked at Guts with shock. He had a goatee with a thin white strip leading up from his chin to his lower lip, and wore garments similar to the ones of the magic users they had cut down earlier. His robes were black, and he wore a shirt that was V shaped, revealing his chest.

The man's shock was evident, and he attempted to flee. Guts loaded his hand crossbow once more, and fired, the bolts ripping through his cape and tearing into his back. He fell down face first, dead. Guts heard him utter something under his breath.

"I have failed… Grima…"

Guts looked to Chrom and Robin.

"That has to be the last of them. We should send out patrols to make sure that there aren't any more in hiding just in case." Chrom said.

Guts nodded, and made way for the front gate. He would start there. He walked over the fresh corpses of his enemies, and left.

…

…

…

Validar saw only blackness. He knew that he had fallen in battle from that large man clad in black armor, but was this what death was like? He looked all around him, seeing nothing but a never-ending expanse of darkness. He hunched over, his eyes wide with wonder. His son was right there, Robin was right in his grasp. That spell he cast was meant to hurt him enough to cause him unconsciousness, but that man with the large sword interfered.

He took the brunt of the spell and didn't even seem fazed. That was a powerful spell, yet it just broke against him like water being spilled on a rock. All of the sudden, he felt a presence and he looked up. What he saw shocked him.

It was Robin, yet…

"This cannot be!" Validar yelled.

"The flow of causality must not be stopped here Validar." He said. "The promised time has not yet come, and your role has not been filled."

The boy gave off a terrifying presence, one that could only belong to…

"Are you… Grima?" Validar asked.

Robin smirked.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'll do the review replies next chapter. I'm lazy as fuck. Well, I will thank Doomkiller for putting me in the recs. You are now daddy.**

 **Anywhore, enjoy.**

"So big guy… um… do you like sweets?" The orange haired thief asked him.

Guts narrowed his eye at Gaius, the shorter man walking at his side.

"I'm guessing not. So… any hobbies involving sweets?" Gaius asked.

"No." Guts replied.

Gaius frowned.

"Really? I had heard that you made candy…" Gaius asked.

Guts stopped his movement, Vaike crashing into his back. The blonde grunted, and walked past the Black Swordsman.

"…What?" Guts asked.

The dry grass crunched under their feet as they began to walk once more, the hot sun beating down on them. They were going to escorting Emmeryn away from the capitol, to a safer region. There was another man with them as well, an old man with little round glasses. He wore an all green outfit with a green hat to match. He kept glancing around nervously at his surroundings, as if expecting an ambush, or something else. He walked up ahead with Chrom and Robin, and Guts could tell the man was slightly panicked. Perhaps he was expecting an attack?

Or did he know something that the others didn't? Guts steeled himself. Something may be coming for the old man.

After a long silence, Gaius spoke up.

"Well, I overheard some of the ladies talking about you. I caught the words sweet, and hunk. So I assumed that you made hunks of sweets." Gaius said.

Guts looked back over the horizon, and frowned.

"…I don't think that was what they meant kid." Guts said.

"They were some of those soldiers from Ferox..." Gaius said.

All of the sudden, the orange haired thief furrowed his brow, holding his hands behind his head.

"Okay… now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that they called ME sweet and you a hunk. They were ogling us." Gaius said.

"Why do you think they called you sweet? I thought you were talking about me." Guts said.

To be honest, The Black Swordsman would never reference the word 'sweet' with his personality.

"I just remembered that they said my name before they said sweet. I don't know why I forgot. Probably cause' the thought of you making candy canceled out my name when they said it." Gaius answered, scratching his cheek.

"Why are you so obsessed with sugar?" Guts asked him. "Eating too much of that isn't healthy."

Gaius let out a laugh.

"You're one to talk! I keep hearing stories about you from the other people in the army. Falling hundreds of feet fighting a giant bat monster monkey thing is probably less healthy than my diet." Gaius said.

"I can guarantee that giant bat monster monkey thing is even less healthy than I am." Guts said.

Gaius chuckled.

"So… how did you kill it anyway?" He asked.

Guts looked ahead, seeing that the group had stopped their movement up ahead. In a place called breakneck pass; this could never be a good thing.

"I don't remember. I blacked out. I just know that I finished the job with a little dagger somehow." Guts answered.

Guts saw that ahead, a band of soldiers, possibly Plegians, had halted their advance. Guts frowned.

"We'll talk later." Guts told him.

The Black Swordsman sprinted ahead, his breathing even. His armor clanked and the other Shepherds looked at him in an odd manner. The little old man in the green outfit ran up to the Plegians, reaching the Plegians as soon as Guts reached the end of the group, standing next to Robin, Frederick, and Chrom. The old man yelled something out to the Plegians, but Guts couldn't quite hear what he said.

He was distracted by the fact that his brand was bleeding.

There was another apostle nearby, and it was one of the Plegian soldiers. His eye scanned the band of Plegians, and he spotted one man… about a foot taller than anyone else on the battlefield. He wielded a large blunt grey iron mace. The size of the weapon was equal to Gut's own sword, and the brand seemed to sting more at the sight of him.

Pippin ran up alongside him as well, the giant clearly instigating fear in the normal Plegian soldiers. The man with the mace however, did not flinch. His large, broad chest was bare, with the exception of red war paint splashed along his lower abs and pecks in a horizontal fashion. He was completely bald, as was his square like face. He wore a fur loincloth to cover his crotch, but other than that he was completely naked.

His eyes were a violent shade of red, and he grinned madly once he saw Guts.

Gut's attention was peeled away from the apostle once he saw the old man be cut down by one of the Plegian soldiers. His axe digging deep into his chest. The soldier pulled out the weapon, spurting blood all over the ground. Guts heard the flapping of wings, and saw that over the horizon that wyvern riders were approaching from behind the main force of the small group of Plegian soldiers.

From his right, he heard more flapping, and more Wyvern riders were heading straight for them. Rickert, the little mage boy, and Miriel had gone to the edge of the cliff with their odd little tomes. These ones were green, instead of the red and yellow ones he had been seeing.

He looked back to the apostle for an instant, to see that he was no longer where he was. He was even further back, behind the other Plegians. The monster smirked at Guts, and stuck his hand out, palm facing the sky. The apostle curled his fingers in a 'come here' motion, and he placed that same hand on his hip.

Guts drew his sword, and charged forward. Pippin and the others followed suit. Robin electrocuted some poor sob with his magic, frying the victim's eyeballs. Chrom disarmed an axe wielding Plegian with ease, and delivered a quick slash across his chest with the Falchion, spurting blood all over the princes white shoulder cape.

Lon'qu and Vaike both charged forward into the enemy lines. Lon'qu delivered quick, precise blows with his killing edge to his enemy's midsections. Sending blood flying in a graceful manner. Vaike was slow sure, and most definitely not graceful, but his blows were powerful. His axe dug deep into a Plegians throat, and severed his head.

Guts slashed horizontally once, separating three Plegians from their lower halves, and once the wyvern riders were close enough, he equipped his mounted crossbow, firing bolts at the nearest beast. After a few well-placed shots to the wyvern's chest and throat, it came crashing down to Gut's feet. The riders left leg was caught beneath his mounts corpse, and could not move.

As Guts approached his soon to be victim, the wyvern rider pleaded for mercy. The Black Swordsman would show none.

Guts placed his boot down on his throat. The rider grabbed at his armored boot in an attempt to remove it, and failed miserably. Guts applied a bit more pressure, shattering his neck.

Pippin smashed his mace into a Plegian swordsman's skull, sending brain matter flying everywhere like his head was a watermelon. Rickert and Miriel used what seemed to be wind magic to knock a few more down the cliff and kept the Wyvern riders at bay, while Kellam again, was nowhere to be seen.

Guts removed his shoe from whatever was left of the rider's neck, and charged forward once more, slaughtering the enemy with no mercy. A wyvern rider flew down, and got his axe ready to strike him, but Guts swung his sword in an arc. His blade went through the Wyverns neck, the rider, and the riders axe. Blood rained down on him, staining his hair and black cloak.

He quickly turned his head once he heard the flapping of wings, but was surprised to see that it was another Pegasus rider, flying towards the battlefield. Was it reinforcements?

"Well done." A voice said in front of him.

Guts looked back to see the apostle looking him dead in the eye. He was at least five inches taller than the Black Swordsman. Guts noticed that there was a piercing in the apostle's nose, like a bulls.

"Of course, these weaklings could not be a challenge for one such as you. I have heard tales of your strength, and I wish to see it first-hand." The monster said. "I Tibbar, challenge you to single combat. Do you accept?"

Guts swung his blade in a horizontal arc, intent on slicing the apostle clean in half. Tibbar reacted lightning fast, smacking the flat of the blade upwards, causing the blade to soar above his head. Guts, surprised by Tibbars speed, was knocked off balance. The apostle took advantage of this, and swung the blunt end of his mace at The Black Swordsman's chest. Guts could feel _and_ hear most of his ribs shatter on impact.

He felt his feet leave the ground as he was sent flying. Gut's vision went foggy and he felt blood explode out of his mouth. He felt another impact from below, this time, striking his right shoulder. Luckily Tibbars blow barely glanced off of his armor, otherwise Guts shoulder would have been shattered as well.

Guts landed on his back, and stood up immediately, ignoring the stabbing pain in his abdomen. The apostle looked at the state of Gut's armor, and looked perplexed.

"Amazing. Most armor shatters instantly if I strike it with all of my force… but yours holds up nicely Black Swordsman." Tibbar said. "I will give you an example of how powerful one of my blows can be against a normal opponent!" He yelled, swinging horizontally in front of him.

Guts narrowed his eye, and saw that Kellam was standing right in front of Tibbar. It seemed that the knight had attempted to get the jump on the apostle with his natural stealthiness. Sadly, that did not seem to be the case this time. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Tibbars mace connected with Kellam's shield. Guts saw as Kellam's arm bent in a way that would make any normal man retch up their breakfast, the arm itself resembling an accordion. The shield shattered, sending shards of metal flying into the knights left eye.

The knight flew back towards the other Shepherds, whizzing past Guts like a ball. The B lack swordsman saw Kellam bounce against the ground three times before he finally came to a stop. Lissa's eyes widened with fear, and she backed further away from the apostle. Maribelle, rode over to the knight as fast as she could, and worked her healing magic.

Tibbar sighed.

"Stay out of this fight! This is a duel of honor! If any of you interfere, I shall kill you with ease!" He shouted, his booming voice echoing out across the battlefield.

Chrom and Robin ran up alongside Guts. The Black swordsman scoffed at this.

"He will kill you. Stay back." Guts told them.

"I can't leave a friend to fight something like this on his own!" Chrom yelled.

"Me neither Guts!" Robin yelled.

"I'm not your damned friend you idiots! Stay back and let me handle this!" Guts yelled.

Chrom and Robin looked to Guts, their faces displaying shock. Tibbar nodded his head.

"I agree with my opponent. Stay out of the fight; you will only end up holding him back. I have no quarrel with you Ylisseans; I only wish to fight the Black Swordsman. I will not have you taint his honor!" Tibbar shouted.

Guts clenched his teeth and swung his blade at Tibbars knees, fully intent on de-legging him. The apostle jumped over the blow, and kicked Guts in the jaw as a retort. Gut's eyes went white with rage, and he swung once more, this time at the apostle's midsection. Tibbar brought his mace up to block it. Sparks flew as metal met metal, and since Tibbar was still in the air, the strike sent him flying far to the right.

The monster rolled, digging his massive right fist into the ground to stop his motion. Guts sneered angrily and felt something… horrible coming. He hadn't felt that sort of rage since he fought with Mael. He had to kill Tibbar fast, or else he might black out again.

Guts looked towards the edge of the cliff, and narrowed his eye. He looked back to Tibbar and charged forward, screaming in rage. He blocked his blow, and then attacked Guts, who in return blocked the apostle's attack. Guts felt the reverberation through his sword at the strike, and realized that it would be best to speed blitz his enemy.

Guts clenched his teeth, and swung as fast as he possibly could. Sparks flew between the two warriors as Tibbar could do nothing but block Gut's attacks. The apostle took a step back, then another, and this repeated until he was near the edge of the cliff. Guts just needed one more push. Tibbar looked behind him for just a moment, and The Black Swordsman took advantage of that. Guts delivered a quick thrust to the apostle's midsection.

The blade stuck out of Tibbars back, and blood exploded out of him. The monster let out a howl of pain as the blade penetrated, and Guts gave a mad grin.

…

Robin smiled, amazed. Guts had done it again. The Black swordsman took a step forwards, leading the apostles feet off of the cliff. Tibbar held on to the massive blade with his hands, dropping his mace into the canyon below, and they were cut open from the contact. Guts attempted to pull the blade out of the apostle, but Tibbar smiled. The monsters feet dug into the side of the cliff, and he pulled. Gut's eye widened with shock as he was pulled off, both of them falling into the canyon.

Robin screamed, and sprinted over to the edge where they had both fallen off. He scanned the bottom of the treacherous canyon, but could not see a thing. The whole damned trench was covered in shadow. That fall… was too high for any man to survive. Guts may have fallen hundreds of feet, but the canyon was so deep that he would splatter on impact.

He fell to his knees, and clenched his fists in rage. Robin had failed yet again to protect one of his friends… first Virion, then Kellam, and Guts immediately afterwards…

His breaths were shaky, uneven, and tears slid down his cheeks. What kind of good for nothing tactician let soldiers die like that? Chrom and the others had come to look at where the two could have fallen down as well, and their faces showed the same exact look of despair and anguish. Chrom too, fell to his knees for a moment, but then stood up, and looked to Cordelia, who had just recently joined the fray.

She had long, blood red hair, and was quite beautiful of face. Like Sumia, she was a Pegasus rider, and wore the same outfit that Sumia wore, except it had red outlines about the skirt and sleeves.

"Go save him! There's still a chance that he has survived!" Chrom yelled. "I know this canyon! There is a river at the bottom; it's possible that he could have landed in it!"

Cordelia widened her eyes a considerable margin, then she nodded.

"As you command." She replied, hopping aback her Pegasus.

Robin stood, wiping the tears from his eyes. That was right. It wasn't confirmed that he is dead, there was still a chance that he survived somehow. Robin's right hand went instinctively to his red egg shaped necklace. Chrom never gave up, and neither should he.

…

Guts attempted to right himself during the fall. Tibbar had long since dislodged himself from the blade, and was falling right alongside of him. The apostle smirked at him, and placed both arms at his sides, making himself fall faster. Blood trailed behind him from his fresh wound.

"We shall meet again, you are a worthy opponent!"

Guts didn't bother to look down. He gripped the hilt of his blade as tight as he could manage. The cliff face was just within reach. The Black Swordsman plunged the tip of his blade into the edge of the cliff with all of his force. It stuck, and Guts was stuck hanging by the hilt of his sword. He looked down into the blackness of the canyon, and heard running water. This meant that there was a river at the bottom of it. That means that Tibbar most likely survived the fall.

Guts looked up, and saw that a Pegasus rider was descending towards the river in question. The Black Swordsman clenched his teeth in an attempt to quell the pain in his chest. He took a deep breath.

"Over here!" He yelled.

The Pegasus stopped in the air, and in turned and flew back to his direction. Guts allowed him a small smirk, but then furrowed his brow as another headache surfaced. A flash of white and he felt his grip loosen. The name of the woman… was… Casca.

He fell.

 **I published the Berserk Fates crossover. Go to my profile to read dat shit. Also, leave a review or I shall send the almighty rape horse after you.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back, don't beat me too hard for being late okay? Let's get to the responses.**

 **Emerald Pichu . Nov 2, 2016**

 **No need for the horse I find this interesting enough on its own to leave a response. The parallels that run between the the to stories make them work so well tougher. Making Lucina's fight against fate so much more potent and at least one Robin's fall all the more tragic I'll be sure to keep up with this.**

 **Nivlac: Hope you still enjoy in the future.**

 **Zaru chapter 4 . Oct 17, 2016**

 **Whoaaaaaaaa so this world is connected. And robin replaces Void!? Also, I hope god Hand Robin has a neat dark name as Griffith had as he became Femto.**

 **Nivlac: I've had a few ideas.**

 **Zaru chapter 3 . Oct 17, 2016**

 **I like how you made the end of the fight ambiguous. Clearly the Berserker armor is intact, and this is sometime after or during the Millenium Falcon Arc.**

 **I am curious to know why there is an Apostle in the FE-verse, unless the FE-verse is the same as Berserk-verse. In which case, Guts is Capital F Fucked as is the rest of the Shepards. They can't do Squadoosh against Femto and the Godhand. Oh, and Femto's new Band of the Hawk.**

 **Nivlac: The world of Berserk and the world of Fire Emblem are not connected.**

 **Zaru chapter 1 . Oct 17, 2016**

 **Hmmm... This looks promising indeed. Watched and faved for sure. You have Guts' personality down to a pat.**

 **Wish we could have gotten more out of the nightmare though.**

 **Nivlac: Yeet.**

 **Lovnag chapter 9 . Oct 9, 2016**

 **Well, this work seems quite good.**

 **Nivlac: Thank ya kindly.**

 **BloodWolf752 chapter 9 . Aug 30, 2016**

 **Does anyone else wanna see Guts and Lucina team up in Berserker Armour to completely wreck anyone/anythings shit, or is that just me?**

 **Nivlac: That's not a bad idea…**

 **TheGunmaster chapter 9 . Aug 23, 2016**

 **Hmmm... Does this mean Cordelia is Casca, Casca is another Pegasus rider? Or does Cordelia simply look like Casca?**

 **Nivlac: Cordelia had nothing to do with the memory flash. They just happen at random sometimes.**

 **Doomkiller10 chapter 9 . Aug 23, 2016**

 **Thanks for the thank you dude. Berserk needs much more fanfiction love... Well, GOOD fanfiction love at least; and not more Guts x Griffith (I mean, to each his own and all that. I'm just sick of seeing only that). And lemme tell ya, this is some GOOD shit right here. I hope the next chapter comes out before I ship off to basic in September, but don't let me rush you.**

 **Nivlac: I am shameful for not getting this out before you went off to learn how to kick ass. Sorry.**

 **Guest chapter 9 . Aug 22, 2016**

 **I love it! And when do u plan on guts seeing robin's red dicklace (called it dicklace because ya know... The FINAl episode of the 1982 anime berserk) and revealing what the thing does?( plz don't have to many deaths) p.s I love ur story and I can't wait for the next chapter!**

 **Nivlac: I'm glad ya like it.**

 **Dead Pann chapter 9 . Aug 22, 2016**

 **Ha! I can totally see the conversation between Guts and Gaius being a real conversation in game. To be fair, hearing the word 'sweets' and Guts' name in the same sentence would be enough for a brief mental shutdown. Nowi is going to have so much fun saying that to people.**

 **I bet Tibbar is a Minotaur. The names rhyme!**

 **Oh come on! Cordelia doesn't even look Casca! Casca must have saved Guts from a similar situation before she got jumped a horrid monster. Guts' subconscious chose one of the worst times to give out a flashback. Pegasuses can barely lift the combined weight of Guts Dragonslayer and another person, so the chances of of a Pegasus managing to grab Guts in free-fall are slim to none. Even worse**

 **Nivlac: Fam, Cordelia had nothing to do with the flash. Now read my shitty fanfic and leave one of those reviews I love so much.**

One moment.

One moment was all it took for his grip on the handle of his blade. He felt himself falling into the depths of the canyon below, and Guts braced himself. He turned his body during his fall, seeing the river far below him, barely visible to the light of day. He clenched his teeth, the way he was falling; he would splatter on the ground instead of hitting the water.

Even if he did hit the water, he was in for a lot of pain. It was possible he would lose consciousness, but that still held more of a chance for survival than just hitting the jagged rocks below. Tibbar may be down there was well, albeit far down the river.

He heard the wind rip past his ears. Time felt as if it was slowing down, and he flailed his arms in an attempt to right himself. Guts clenched his teeth as he began to get closer and closer to the rocks. There was no way he could position himself to hit the water, he was just going to have to hope that he wasn't going to die on impact.

As he was bracing himself however, he felt as something collided with his left side, knocking him off course and towards the water. In that instant, he saw as the Pegasus rider flew after him. What had hit him was the head of the Pegasus. She must have known there was no way to catch him, so she settled on the next best thing.

The cold water flooded his nostrils after he hit the water and sunk beneath its surface. Guts instinctively clawed for the surface as he was being swept by the current. His armor weighed him down, and one of his bags contents spilled out, flowing out along with him. His lungs burned as he attempted to get his head above the water.

After much struggling, he finally was able to get his head out of the water, only staying a bit afloat due to him rapidly kicking his arms and legs. He took fast breaths, and looked to each side, hoping to find something to grab on to. To Gut's luck, a large branch jutted out from the soil of the rivers bank on the right side. He positioned himself, and as he was passing, his fingers grasped the dead branch, and gripped tightly.

His legs were still being pulled along by the strong current, but at least he wasn't drowning anymore. Guts heard the beating of large wings, and turned his head, seeing the crimson haired Pegasus rider descending to his left hand side, just above the river.

She let out a sigh of relief, or something akin to it, and offered Gut's her hand. The Black Swordsman awkwardly raised his metal arm, and she cocked her head to the left, somewhat confused. She grabbed it with her right hand, and pulled, letting out a grunt of effort.

"Are you sure you can lift me?" Guts asked her.

"I'm positive; just give me… a moment…" She replied.

…

…

…

It had been ten minutes since they fell, and Robin clenched his fist. Cordelia could have still been scanning the river… but the strength of that current may have carried Guts for miles, and assuming his head was under the water, he would have drowned.

Robin wanted to scream in anger. No matter his tactics, someone always was injured. Kellam, Virion, and Guts most of all. A part of him didn't blame himself however, he didn't tell Virion to fire at Gangrel, and he didn't know where Kellam was at the time. Plus… he never really told Guts what to do, he just acted as his current situation demanded, he had no need of Robin's tactics.

Despite knowing this, Robin felt incompetent. How could he keep letting his friends get hurt or killed so much? He needed to improve; become a superior tactician, and then he could keep everyone safe from harm. His mind wandered for another minute, and then he realized something.

The only reason Virion is dead, Kellam is injured, and Guts is missing, is because Chrom's father marched on Plegia on a crusade. Gangrel grew bitter towards Ylisse, and has been plaguing it ever since. As a result, he killed Virion after becoming an apostle. In a certain sense… it was Chrom's father's holy war against Plegia that killed Virion. If that crusade never took place… the braggart archer would still be alive, and Ylisse and Plegia both would most likely be in a better state.

Robin hated war. There were victims and monsters from both sides, nothing good comes from it, but at the same time, it was such an integral part of being human. War has always existed, just like air and water. Conflict was normal.

He didn't want it to be normal. Robin wished he could change the way things were for good…

As soon as he thought that, he felt his egg shaped necklace shake. Robin's eyes widened and he pulled open his shirt, looking at the crimson orb. It shuddered, and opened one of its eyes, staring him in the face.

Robin held back a scream and quickly shut his shirt. He still wasn't used to that. He was half-tempted to toss it into the canyon below, and let it be gone for good. However… the fact that it was on him when he woke up for the first time prevented him from discarding it. Besides his clothes and the tattoo on his hand, it was the only thing that connected him to his past.

He shuddered with fear however. He saw an egg shaped… thing getting tossed between Gangrel and that man in red the day war was declared. Was… was this the same kind of necklace? If he found out for a fact that it was, he would discard it immediately. Robin wasn't going to put his friends at risk.

Another minute passed, and Robin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cordelia return with Guts riding behind her. His sword was being held in his right hand, and his black cape flew in the wind.

Chrom and the others smiled, followed by a couple of cheers from Vaike and Sully. They landed, dirt flying up around the white Pegasus as it flapped its wings. Guts slowly let himself down from the Pegasus, and sheathed his sword at his back. He clutched his left shoulder with his right hand, and rotated it. The water that soaked his armor glistened in the sunlight, and his hair had drooped down considerably.

The Shepherds ran up to him. Firing off compliments and asking if he was alright.

"Lissa, could you help me out please?" He asked the young princess, ignoring the barrage of questions. "I feel a bit… broken."

He did look worse for wear. Blood dribbled down the sides of his mouth as he coughed up blood onto the dirt. Lissa ran up to him.

"Of course! Just let me get my magic healing stick ready alright?" She said.

Guts nodded.

"Thank you." He responded.

Lissa waved the staff over him, and once the yellow light vanished, The Black Swordsman stood to his full height.

"Good job! How did you survive that fall?" Chrom asked him.

Guts took a breath, and let it out.

"I landed in the water." He answered, looking to Cordelia. "Thank you, by the way."

Cordelia smiled.

"You're welcome. What is your name?" She asked.

"I'm Guts." He said. "You?"

"Cordelia." She responded.

Chrom offered a hand to her.

"Thank you for saving my friend." He said.

Cordelia looked down at the offered hand, and slowly reached up, grabbing his hand with her own. Cordelia's face slightly reddened, and Robin could already tell that she was interested in his blue haired friend. Robin grinned. He was glad Guts turned out to be alright. There was still one small problem however.

What should be done about Tibbar?

He was a dangerous foe, massive and fast. Generally anything that could give Guts a decent challenge wasn't anything to be ignored. However, Robin was fairly certain that could go without any kind of saying. The question was: How do we beat him with no casualties?

It was sheer luck that Kellam wasn't just killed on impact, and Guts was tough enough to survive about anything. The others though? Robin doubted highly that the Shepherds were anywhere near the level of strength needed to fight apostles when they arose. Guts was the strongest in the group, being the only one to trade blows with those monsters and survive.

A shiver went down Robin's spine when he remembered a crucial detail.

Tibbar could most likely transform. If all apostles were the same that meant each one had a human, and a monster form. Tibbar was dangerous enough, but whatever his transformation could be may prove to be deadly indeed.

Robin glanced over, and looked for the injured knight. It took him a second, but he finally noticed an odd glimmer near Maribelle. Upon closer inspection, he could see that Kellam was still laid on the ground, Maribelle casting her healing magic on the soft-hearted knight's injuries. The armor that was on his shield-bearing arm had been almost completely ripped off, with only little jagged bits of metal sticking out of the arm hole of the torso.

Kellam saw him looking, and smiled, flashing a thumbs up in his direction. Robin grinned and nodded back, flashing the stealthy knight a thumbs up back.

Robin looked away from him, and scanned the now bloody and decimated battlefield. Several Plegian bodies littered the grounds, their blood soaking into the dirt. Large Wyvern corpses lay either atop their masters or beside them, their blood flowing out as well. Robin looked down to his sword, seeing the grey iron blood soaked blade. Some of the material dribbled off as he swung it down towards the brown dusty earth.

His cloak was soaked in the stuff. It would take hours to wash it all out… but that wasn't the biggest problem at the forefront of his mind at the moment.

It was the overwhelming guilt. These people must have had others who loved them, people that expected and counted on them to come home after this damned war. That wouldn't happen now, thanks to the Shepherds and Gangrel. That sick dastard needed to be stopped; he was sending his men to their deaths in a pointless war for revenge.

He wished there was a way to just end all conflict, but he knew that was impossible.

Robin thought of the time he met Griffith in the gardens in Ylisse. The man seemed… godly when Robin met him. He seemed to know his purpose in this world. Whatever his ambition was, Griffith whole heartedly believed that he could, and _would_ attain it.

He kind of inspired Robin.

With that kind of confidence, Robin might just bring about an end to war. Not abolish it, but slowly and surely bring it to a hopefully permanent close. The world that would be created as a result would be a paradise on earth. No more war… he could almost imagine it.

Sadly, that dream was currently out of his reach for now. He needed to concentrate on defeating Gangrel and restoring peace between both the nations of Plegia and Ylisse. His thoughts wandered back to that of Griffith.

His dream was to obtain his own kingdom. How was he going to go about achieving that?

…

…

…

Guts lay back on his bedroll, and stared at the roof of his tent. His sword and armor were laid on the opposite side of the tent, and he sat back up, looking at the blade. He stood up, and walked over to it, picking the blade up with his right hand. Guts then brought his blade over to the bedroll, and laid it right next to him.

He felt more comfortable with it by his side.

Guts then felt his head begin to burn once more, and he shut his eye, and pinched the bridge of his nose. They got worse every day. This new memory revealed the name of his blade.

Dragonslayer.

Of course it would be called that, it was a sword bigger than he was. Guts allowed himself a small smile; it was good that he at least remembered that. What an odd journey he was on… it made him realize the importance of names.

Names are more than just titles. They embody everything about a person. Whenever they take an action, it was them that did it. Names, in of themselves, are like their own being.

Casca… Dragonslayer… Guts.

Very important. He hoped he could recall some more names soon.

"Guts? Are you awake?" He heard Chrom's voice call from outside of the tent.

Guts sat back up.

"I am." He answered.

"May I enter?" The prince asked.

"Go ahead." The Black Swordsman responded.

The flap of the tent lifted up, Chrom walking through. He wore brown silken long sleeve pajamas. Bags rested under his eyes, and his mouth was held in a frown.

"I can't sleep…" He said. "Plegia is marching on Ylisse… and Emm wants to stay right where Gangrel wants her to be. I fear for her. What if we can't reach, Ferox in time? What if Gangrels already reached the city and killed her? I'm terrified."

"It isn't doing you any good to worry about it. I know it's hard to just… forget about it and sleep. But you should try. Battle could be upon us at any moment, and if you're sleep deprived, you're not at your strongest. Lives are at stake all the time in war. Emmeryn is in the capital city right? Before Gangrel can get to her, he would have to breach the walls. Sieges can last a long time. I think we'll have plenty of time to get Ferox's troops and roll over Gangrel's forces. Try to get some sleep." Guts said.

Chrom shut his eyes, and took another breath.

"Thanks Guts… I think I'll be able to sleep a little bit easier now. Before I go back to bed, do you remember anything else about your past?" Chrom asked, placing a hand on his chin.

Guts grabbed the hilt of his sword, and looked to it.

"The name of my blade is Dragonslayer. I just remembered that before you walked in." Guts said.

Chrom nodded at it.

"I couldn't imagine it being named anything else… well, except for maybe "Manmasher" or something similar." He said, grinning. "Before I head off to bed, I wanted to ask one more question. I know I already said I would go to bed after that last one, but I need to know… where does your strength come from?"

Guts cocked his head.

"My strength?" He asked.

"You always seem to win every fight you enter. I want to hear what you do. Is it some kind of training?" Chrom asked. "I need to become stronger so I can protect those I care for. Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated."

Guts frowned.

"Training is always good to improve yourself physically. It is incredibly important, but my strength doesn't just come from that alone." Guts explained. "In battle, you need to do whatever it takes to win. It doesn't matter how dirty your tactics are. Throw dirt in your enemies face, bite their sword, and kick them in the face. Take every advantage you see. Besides that… just don't give up, never surrender. Even if your bones are shattered and you've lost half of your blood; you keep fighting until you win." Guts said.

Chrom nodded.

"Thank you Guts. I'll keep that in mind the next time when I'm fighting for my life." Chrom said. "I'll take my leave, sleep well."

"You too." Guts said to Chrom as he turned around and left his tent.

Chrom didn't act like other nobles, that was one thing that he liked about him. He remembered enough to know that most of them were prissy weaklings who let other men fight their battles. Playing games with each other and their subjects for either amusement or grabs at power, it wasn't right.

Chrom was honest, and kind of naïve. However, that naivety is why Guts was with the Shepherds in the first place. What would have happened if the prince of Ylisse never found him lying there? Would he have died of his wounds? Would someone else have found him?

He guessed that it didn't really matter at this point. What's done is done.

Guts then thought of Robin. The tactician had been growing quiet as of late. Ever since that last battle with the Plegians, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Something was eating at him. It was most likely all of the killing the group had been taking part in. For Robin, taking a life must have still been a somewhat new experience for him. He woke up with no recollection of his life previously, so it must have been all new for him.

Guts however… when he woke up and killed those bandits, he didn't feel a lick of guilt. It was as if he had been killing all his life. So much so that a few lives ended at his hands meant nothing to him. Should he have felt guilt for ending their lives? Perhaps; perhaps not. If something made an attempt on his life, that something would die, and he wouldn't sleep the least bit badly afterwards.

He laid his hands behind his head once more, and stared at the ceiling of his tent, the white fabric billowing in the wind from outside. Soon, his eyes began to get heavy, and he shut them, his last thought being:

Puck…


	11. Chapter 11

**Read this. Now.**

Running and the splashing of water under his feet with every step was the only thing that he could hear. Everything around him was silent as well as pitch dark. His feet were freezing, the water being ice cold, and the air that he breathed into his nostrils chilled his lungs. All he knew was that he was running, and he wasn't quite sure why.

His foot caught on something suddenly, and he face planted into the water, which rushed up his nose and irritated his sinuses. He sat up, and coughed out the water, his eyes attempting to search the darkness surrounding him.

It was a futile effort however. Nothing was visible.

Robin felt tears trickle down his cheeks, and he stood up. Looking all around him for a sign of… well, anything that wasn't pitch darkness. Suddenly a bright light appeared behind him, and he turned his head.

His eyes widened with surprise.

Standing there, with his long white hair and feminine round face, stood Griffith, naked as the day he was born. Robin walked towards him, reaching his hand outwards. Griffith then raised his hand towards the tactician, pointing at his chest. Robin looked down, noticing that he was naked as well, except for one thing.

His red egg shaped necklace, hanging there off of his neck.

"You will be given a choice one day." Griffith said his voice as soothing as warm water. "Between your friends." He said, gesturing his hand towards a space next to him.

Light appeared, showing Chrom, Lissa, and several of the other Shepherds smiling, laughing together.

"Or the keeping the land from ruin." He said, gesturing to the other side of him.

Another white light appeared, showing Ylisse burning, the Risen pouring over villages, slaughtering men women and children without second thought. In the image, one man stood alone, holding off the massive hoard of monsters. The black armor and spiky hair gave him away immediately. Guts stood, cutting a swath through them by the dozens. With every swing of his massive blade, several dozen risen would fall.

"Even he can't stop the tide; you must make that decision, between your friends, and the good of the world." Griffith said.

The image changed from Guts battling, to him lying face up, a massive field of bodies- Ylisseans- lying around him. His face looked like a cutting board, and his remaining arm resembled that of a latticed tart. He stood up, looking over the scorched landscape, leaning on his sword for support.

His breathing was ragged and heavy, and over the horizon, another hoard of Risen appeared. It numbered in the tens of thousands, and Guts clenched his teeth, holding his sword towards the threat. Robin saw what appeared to be a black top of a wolfs skull rising up from Gut's black cape, eventually covering his whole head. His helmet resembled that of a wolf, and his vambraces grew to cover both of his hands. The eye slots glowed red and it seemed to growl in anger. It charged towards the massive hoard of undead, holding the massive sword over its shoulder, its cape flying behind it.

The image was about to fade out, but just before it disappeared, Robin saw a massive horned dragon head rise over the hoard, letting out a powerful shout that caused his ears to ring. The power of it sent ripples and small waves across the water he stood in, and he had to struggle to stay standing. He raised his arms and squinted his eyes until the image completely vanished.

He fell to his hands and knees.

"W-what..." He said, shaking. "What on earth was that?"

"The future. What will happen based on your decision. Do the few mean more than the many? Ask yourself that question, and apply your answer when that day comes, Oh blessed King of Want."

"How!?" He shouted at Griffith.

"Use the Egg of the King. Your Behelit." He said, pointing to his necklace again.

Robin looked down once again, seeing that the Behelit had changed the pattern of its face to resemble that of a normal persons. It let out a bloodcurdling scream and cried tears of blood.

"It will be your key to saving this world." Griffith said, vanishing, leaving Robin once again alone in the darkness.

"Don't leave me here!" Robin shouted into the endless void.

…

…

…

Guts opened his eye, awakened from his slumber. The cause was shouting. Screams of horror from the tent next to his. He quickly got up from his bedroll, and grabbed Dragonslayer, quickly running outside. The other Shepherds followed suit, all of them following the source of the shouting.

The cool air bit at his exposed skin, and the weariness of sleep still somewhat clung to him. Torches lit up the campsite, illuminating the pathways between tents.

It was coming from Robin's tent. Guts wasted no time and charged inside, seeing the tactician writhing violently in his bedroll, looking as if he were drowning. Guts winced as he felt his brand sting with pain. It wasn't as intense as say there was an apostle nearby, but there was definitely something evil lurking about.

Guts noticed a creature floating just above Robins head. A one eyed blue skinned slimy orb with tentacles hanging beneath it. The tentacles seemed to be reaching into Robin's ears, and Guts didn't let a moment slip by before he split the thing in half with a horizontal slash of his sword. White blood splattered across the tent and onto Robin's face, whose eyes shot open. The tactician sat up from his bed roll, and looked around desperately, his shirt stained with sweat. He reached up to his face and quickly wiped off the gore that splattered onto him.

Chrom and Frederick charged in, both holding weapons at the ready. They both spotted the remains of the thing that Guts slew, and looked to Robin.

"Are you okay? What happened here?" Chrom asked concern evident in his voice.

"That thing." Guts said, pointing to the top half of the tentacle creature's corpse. "Was doing something to Robin."

Robin looked over to his right, seeing the remains of the odd creature, and jumped away from his bedroll.

"What in Naga's name is that?" Frederick asked.

Guts head ached, and then the name of the creature seemingly appeared in his mind.

"It's an incubus." Guts said. "Their created through the bodily fluids and malice of previous battles… "

It was nighttime. Something bad was coming, Guts could sense it. The pain in his brand grew stronger. He clenched his teeth.

"Get ready for a fight!" He shouted.

Robin quickly threw on his coat, and grabbed his iron sword, and charged out of the tent along with Chrom and Frederick. Guts felt blood pour down his neck, and he sneered. Something felt familiar about this, and he didn't like it.

He followed them out of the tent, and saw that all hell had broken loose. They surrounded everything and numbered in the hundreds by the look of it. Several skeletons had seemingly rose from their graves… but they weren't like the Risen, they were… different.

They all held rusted weapons and few even had armor, yet their number was great. Lissa was running as fast as she could from the dead, but one ran her through from behind, knocking her to the ground. The rusted blade stuck into the ground, pinning the young princess in place. Blood pooled beneath her, and tears streamed down her face.

Guts shouted in rage, and charged forward, cleaving that undead, and a couple dozen around it to pieces. Chrom followed suit, looking angrier than Guts had ever seen him. Robin jumped into the fray as well, jumping high in the air, and bringing his blade down on one of the skeletons, cleaving it in two. Frederick quickly ran over to Lissa, and slowly removed the blade from Lissa, and flipped her on her other side. Frederick looked panicked, and reached into a bag he had on his person. Pulling out a small blue vial.

"It hurts…" Lissa said, still bawling.

"Take this quick!" Frederick ordered, uncorking the lid.

He lifted it up to her lips, and poured the contents into her mouth. Guts turned his head back to the enemy, and continued to cleave through them along with Chrom and Robin. Guts had never seen the two of them fight so furiously, they screamed in rage much like Guts had while fighting apostles.

The Black Swordsman continued at it, they had set up camp in an open field, without a hill in sight; so after the three of them cut a swath through the camp to one end of it, his eye widened with fear. They were as far as the eye could see, and Robin and Chrom's jaws were held agape.

Guts turned back to them.

"Both of you go and get everyone into a defensive position in the center of the camp. Keep Maribelle and Lissa in the center and don't get killed. I'll deal with these bastards here and lower the number you'll have to fight."

Robin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"There are literally miles of them all around! It's suicide! And you don't have any armor!" Robin shouted.

"He's right Guts, that's sure death, come back with us to the center and we can figure something else out." Chrom said.

"Come on." Guts said. "These are just skeletons. I'm not dying tonight; now get the hell out of here."

They both looked to each other, and reluctantly turned around.

"Just don't die!" Chrom shouted running back.

Something felt familiar about this. He wasn't sure what, but he was certain he had faced odds just like this before, and every time, he would come out the victor. He intended to be the victor again. He rushed to meet them, a wide grin on his face.

…

…

…

They just kept coming. Robin's muscles were burning in agony with every swing of his sword. Lissa had survived… thankfully, and was in the middle of a large circle next to Maribelle. Everyone who could fight was surrounding them, with the healers sealing up every wound that might be received. They had been in this same pattern for three hours now, without a single moment of rest. If they stopped casting spells, swinging their weapons, or blocking attacks, the circle would be compromised. Vaike cleaved through many skeletons with a two handed swing of his axe, cleaving them apart from the spine upwards. Lon'qu was having a slightly more difficult time battling the forces of the dead; a sword like his was for rending flesh, not cracking bone.

He still cut down quite a few skeletons, just not as efficiently as Vaike's axe could. Frederick was riding in a circle around their tight knit defense, swiping away at the monsters with his lance to take some of the pressure off of them. His mind wandered back to his dream earlier… he could remember it so vividly, every single moment of gut wrenching fear he felt wandering alone in that hellish place.

He was snapped back to reality when a spear cut his thigh open, blood trickling down it. He blasted apart the skeleton with a thunder bold, and cleaved another's head off with his sword. Chrom stood next to him, batting away swings and returning in kind with powerful slashes of his sword.

Falchion seemed to work very well against these creatures, as if they were nothing to its metal. Chrom still sported several slashes across his arms and body, blood staining his white cape and blue hued clothes.

Kellam was, as per usual, nowhere in sight. As well as Kellam however… Rickert was nowhere in sight as well, he wasn't in the circle at all. Robin prayed for his safety. Cordelia and Sumia flew through the skies, their pegasi spotting several lacerations due to the dead taking swipes at them.

Out of everyone however, the one who was shouldering the most pressure from the undead was Pippin. The square faced giant was fighting dozens off at a time, crushing them with his mace easily. It seemed odd however… it was as if the dead were more drawn to him than the other Shepherds.

The rest of the Shepherds weren't faring that much better than they were, there would be more blood on the field if it weren't for Lissa and Maribelle's constant healing.

Something shone in Robin's eye, and he risked a look to his right.

The sun had risen from over the horizon, and once it did, the skeletons all held still, before collapsing onto the ground completely, their bones rattling when they hit the dirt. Robin squinted, and saw several ethereal beings rise up from the skeletons. With red glowing eyes full of malice, they glared at him, before disappearing completely.

Robin dropped his sword and fell to the ground, his lungs grasping for air. Most of everyone else followed suit, finally being allowed a moment to rest was a godsend, but Robin couldn't afford to stop and rest just yet. Shakily, he got to his feet using his sword as a support, and ran to where Guts had been battling, Chrom and Lissa following close behind.

The other Shepherds went to work on searching the camp, looking for Kellam and Rickert.

When they finally reached the point where they had left Guts before, Robin's eyes widened as far as they could go. He stood there, covered with sweat, his skin glistening in the morning sunlight. He breathed like a dog, the cool morning air coming out as fog from his mouth. He leaned against his massive blade, and a field of shattered bones lay all around him.

Several arrows stuck out of his back and shoulders, but he seemed to pay them no mind. Robin heard the Black Swordsman let out a small laugh. Lissa ran past him, and immediately saw to his arrow wounds.

"Oh… hey kid." Guts said.

Lissa stomped her foot on the ground in frustration.

"Who're you calling kid you big dumb idiot!?" Lissa shouted. "You look like a pin cushion! Sit down now! I have a lot of work to do."

Guts narrowed his eye at her, and complied, lying down. The princess went to work, breaking the arrow tips off and pulling them out when possible. Robin and Chrom approached Guts, who looked weary.

"You're truly amazing." Chrom said. "We barely held our own with all the Shepherds; really, you put us all to shame!" He said, letting out a laugh.

"It hurts to breath. Give me a second." He said, his voice rasping.

Robin was about to say something else as well, but held his tongue when he saw how many scars were across his body. There were almost too many to count, and Robin found himself pondering what the reason was for each and every one of them. He shook his head, there was no use trying to figure it out. However, the largest and most prominent of all the scars he had was a horizontal slash across his chest.

It was almost shoulder to shoulder, and looked to have been a devastating wound at one point. What could have caused that?

"I remembered something while fighting these bastards." Guts said.

Chrom cocked his head.

"What was it?" The prince asked.

"They were here for me." Guts said. "I can't stay with you people any longer."

"You can't stay? You people?" Chrom asked. "What the hell are you talking about? You're a Shepherd, what makes you think that these things were after you specifically?"

Robin nodded his head in agreement.

"They're the Risen; we have to fight them all the time. They were just a bit different this time, that's all." Robin said.

"Yeah Guts, we would have had to fight them anyhow." Lissa said, ripping out another arrow from his flesh and sealing his wound shut.

"When we fight the Risen, my brand doesn't bleed, it doesn't even tingle. These things did. I remember what it does; it attracts evil spirits to attack me every night. I'm not sure why they just started now, but one thing is for sure, I can't stay here anymore. I have to go or I'm putting your lives at risk." Guts said, looking over the distant horizon.

His face looked calm, but his eyes conveyed a feeling of… sadness, looking somewhat hollow.

Chrom shook his head.

"You're a Shepherd. We won't leave you to fight these things on your own." Chrom said. "You are one of us, and I won't leave you to this fate."

"Yeah! I can't even stand the thought of you doing this every single night all alone! You have to stay!" Lissa shouted at him.

"You can't be serious." Robin said. "That would be suicide! Look at you, you're bleeding everywhere, it's a miracle you survived."

"I didn't have any armor. I will this time." Guts said. "And it is every single night. You won't be safe, no one here will. This is for the best; I'll find my own way."

He stood up from the ground after one more of Lissa's healing bursts, and drew his sword from the ground.

"We need you!" Robin shouted at him. "What if we run into another apostle?"

"Like I said. They're coming for me, not you. Just stay away from me, and everything should be fine."

"Please don't do this." Lissa asked him, placing a hand on his chest.

He lightly pushed her hand away.

"Royalty doesn't need my bullshit. If I find a way to… fix it, then I'll be back, till then, just survive."

"But where will you go?" Chrom asked him, blocking his way.

Guts sighed.

"I'm going to kill Gangrel, then deliver that note I got from Virion."

"You're just going to walk right up to the freaking King of Plegia- who I remind you- now has super powers and kill him!?" Lissa yelled in surprise. "His army too!?"

"If I have too." Guts said, pushing Chrom aside gently.

"At the very least wait for the army from Ferox! Find somewhere defendable to set up at near the Plegian capital, and wait for us. Please." Robin pleaded.

"I'm not promising anything." Guts said, walking towards his tent. "Besides, you have Pippin; he should be plenty good enough to get you through whatever struggles you come across. Tell him I said goodbye."

…

…

…

The other Shepherds also questioned Guts' reason for leaving, and he gave them the exact same answer he gave Robin Chrom, and Lissa. He drew them at night, eventually; someone would get killed because of the damn thing on the back of his neck. They seemed sad to see him go, however, Pippin merely nodded at him respectfully, to which the Black Swordsman nodded back.

He began making way back towards Plegia, where Gangrels throne was seated.

Guts looked up to the sky, being alone felt… refreshing, yet slightly horrifying. Dirt crunched beneath his armored boots with each step, and he realized how long of a way he had left to go.

…

…

…

" _Come on!"_

" _Guts!? But father is…"_

" _Just come on Lucina!"_

Lucina's eyes shot open, and she sat up, her hand gripping the hilt of the Falchion. The cave she found refuge in provided a safe get away from the monsters that hounded her footsteps every night. The metal bars on the entrance of the cave allowed her to see the assortments of beasts that glared at her through the bars. She ignored them. No night monster in this forest was strong enough to bend or break those bars, but that didn't mean that she liked them staring at her.

Her breathing was heavy, and her face was wet with tears. Of all the things she had to dream about… she had to dream about that day.

 **Good job, you've done a successful read.**

 **Now review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**TuxedoGreymon chapter 11 . Apr 16**

 **How do you think Guts would do in a Dark Souls world? I'd imagine it wouldn't be all that different from his regular life.**

 **Nivlac: I personally think he would stomp the basic monsters and have a pretty easy time fighting the bosses. Maybe they would be more of a challenge for him but idk.**

 **Guest chapter 11 . Apr 12**

 **Nice update but next time take a shorter boat trip please.**

 **Nivlac: I am shameful I know.**

 **Neema Amiry chapter 11 . Apr 12**

 **Badass**

 **Nivlac: Assbad**

 **jacoby966 chapter 11 . Apr 11**

 **I was told to review, so.**

 **GEWD**

 **Nivlac: Yeet**

 **Pacer287 chapter 11 . Apr 11**

 **Thank goodness I got the random urge to check this page.**

 **Nivlac: Shaaa dood.**

 **Doomkiller10 chapter 11 . Apr 11**

 **ITS ABOUT GODDAMN TIME YOU POSTED. Naw I'm kidding. Everybody has busy lives nowadays (Exhibit A being Yours Truly) so its just good to see an update from you.**  
 **Interesting chapter... Sucks to see Guts has to leave the Shepherds, but I certainly agree that its for the best.**  
 **Now... I wonder how his one man crusade against Gangrel will go? Time will see...**  
 **Keep me posted :D**

 **Nivlac: Posted big daddy.**

 **rc48177 chapter 11 . Apr 11**

 **RARRRGGGGHHHH!**

 **Nivlac: HHHEEEEERRRNNNNGGGGG!**

 **Le Mighty Nooby chapter 11 . Apr 11**

 **Another well done chapter... though I can't remember when were Pippin and Rickert added into the story... or are they characters from Fire Emblem?**

 **Meh...**

 **Thanks for the chapter!**

 **Nivlac: Pippin is from Berserk, he's the big nigga with the mace, and Rickert is a character from fire emblem, he's the little nigga with the book.**

 **Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord chapter 10 . Apr 8**

 **Puck... He remembered something else just as he was falling asleep...**

 **Also, it seems that the inability to come up with good names for weapons runs in the family... (Pointy Demon Spanker, anyone?)**

 **Nivlac: First, thanks for leaving so many reviews you sexy bastard, and yes it does.**

 **Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord chapter 9 . Apr 8**

 **You know, you could've had Kellam say "He... saw me." as he was hit...**

 **Is that enough for me not to get demon horse raped?**

 **Nivlac: Yes it is. And I kind of feel ashamed of myself for not coming up with that one first. That would have been so fucking funny. Also, you lefts a LOT of reviews, so yes, brand of Exalt and the Brand of sacrifice are in opposite eyes. Lol.**

He cleaved through at least five per swing. Well, that was at least the average. Occasionally he would only get four or sometimes five. He hadn't been able to count how many times he had swung the Dragonslayer, but he was definitely in the hundreds now when it came to the body count of the demons that he had slain tonight.

Leaving the Shepherds did in fact seem to be one of his better decisions, if he had stayed with them, they wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance against these endless waves. It wasn't just skeletons either. Possessed animals, Living trees, and even the ghosts of previous battles attempted to end his life. His brand stung with intense pain, but he shut that out, instead swinging again, and again, occasionally cleaving a tree in half and causing it to fall on some of the other enemies.

It had been like this for a week now; the only time for rest was during the day, out of the darkness. That slowed him down rapidly, considering how he could only find time to sleep during the day. Whenever night fell, he always fought going forward towards his goal, the Plegian seat of power.

It didn't matter how long it would take, if he killed Gangrel before Chrom and the others appeared, the monster wouldn't have an opportunity to kill any of them. Then he would be on his way towards Rosanne. He wondered if the monsters would stalk him out over the ocean.

Most likely. He wouldn't put it past these bastards to learn how to swim just to get to him.

Guts didn't like how unrelenting these creatures were, well, he didn't really like anything about them in the first place. If they hadn't been hounding his every step, he could have had Gangrels head on a platter right about now. He needed to find a horse, maybe he should have taken one before leaving the Shepherds, but then again, it ran the risk of becoming possessed.

For some reason Guts particularly hated the idea of a demon horse.

He hated demons already, but the thought of a horse becoming one really got on his nerves. The cool air of the night bit at his exposed skin and the smell of fresh leaves invaded his nostrils. The moonlight shone down on him, almost a full moon, but not quite, there was another day or two before that at least.

Guts swung again, taking another step forward. Every swing equaled another step.

He was getting tired of this, but it felt very familiar to him, as if he'd been living this kind of life for years.

By time day broke, he had walk-fought about two miles worth of demons. He needed to find a way to pick up the pace. The spirits floated up from whatever they possessed to attack him when the sunlight touched their bodies, and then they vanished.

"See you tonight." Guts said, disdain in his voice.

He took a couple of deep breaths, and then sheathed his sword at his back. Guts put one foot in front of the other, and repeated that pattern for another mile before breaking into a full on sprint. He had to make it.

…

…

…

Lucina looked down at the large boot prints in the earth beneath her. He came this way, she was sure of it. Guts was relatively easy to track, she just had to follow the mangled bodies of the demons he slew and his armored boot prints. She knew how this story would end; Lucina knew that Guts didn't need her following after him.

He killed Gangrel before her father even showed up with the Feroxi army, but that didn't stop Gangrel from ripping Emmeryns head off and placing it on a stick before Guts reached his fortress. If Lucina could speed up his process of actually arriving there, then maybe it could avert the event of the eclipse. The best way to do that required her to actually… well, talk to him. That wasn't exactly an issue per say, it was just… a bit odd speaking to her father figure when he was young.

The fact that he was missing his beard that the older version of him had made her less comfortable. That was actually the least of her concern; she just didn't want Guts to ask her any questions. It had been a while, but she suspected if he did that, she may start to cry. She took a deep breath. Just avoid answering the questions that may be asked, and save the future.

" _No, it's from the left, when I strike from this way, you have to strike this way. Got it? Alright, let's try again Lucina."_

" _Got it!"_

" _That a girl."_

Lucina smiled. That was right, save the future.

Save her father, her mother, and well… her other father.

She couldn't waste any time, even a minute late, and Emmeryn could be dead, no time to spend day dreaming. She darted forwards, following in her other father's footsteps. She wouldn't be a burden this time.

A part of her wondered as to why she didn't just… well, kill Robin. That would definitely put an end to the eclipse, but if she did that… she wasn't sure if Chrom would be able to defeat Walhart. There was also the matter of her two friends which would cease existing should she slay him. Those were the only two factors that were staying her hand.

Unless… perhaps time travel doesn't work that way. Maybe she could kill Robin, and they would still exist. She wasn't about to risk them though.

…

…

…

Finding something to eat in the desert wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Sure, Guts wasn't expecting any 'desert deer' or anything like that, but at least a non-poisonous scorpion or something that wasn't a cactus. He still had some hard tack in his bag, but that stale old bread could only take you so far.

This however, was the least of his worries. It was almost sun down, and he still had one or two day left before he would even be able to see the Plegian capital city. Which meant that he would have to fight through even more hoards of demons that would slow him down. He drew his sword once he heard the sounds of footsteps shifting in the sand behind him. He swiftly turned with his sword drawn out in front of him, and was surprised to see Marth standing across from him.

She held some sort of paper in her hand with strange foreign letters on it.

"Take this." She said, approaching him.

Guts lowered his sword.

She held her right eye closed, and her eyes were drawn more towards the ground. She raised it to him, and he sheathed his sword, gripping the paper.

"What is this?" He asked her.

Marth looked up to Guts, her eye almost looked watery. She took a deep breath.

"It'll ward them off. I had a friend of mine make it… I ran into him in a village not far from here. He didn't want to come with me though. Just keep it on you at all times. It'll make your journey faster." She said, turning around.

"Wait a second." Guts told her. "Why are you helping me, and how did you know about what I was doing?"

She said nothing, and continued to march off. Guts looked down at the paper, and then back up to Marth, who was marching away. There was something familiar about her, aside from the armor and the brand she hid in her right eye. The way she carried herself, standing tall, but looking as if she had the world on her shoulders.

He looked back down to the paper, and opened his satchel, placing it inside. He turned around, and began running once more towards his goal. No time for standing around, he had places to be.

…

…

…

Emmeryn slowly opened her eyes, them being blurry with pain. She had failed, Ylisse had fallen to Gangrel. Ylisstol didn't even last a day before Gangrel's forces charged through. She looked up, and saw a man in a red cloak standing on the other side of the cold stone room. He stood next to a thick wooden door with no window, and a round handle.

She tried to stand up, but noticed that her arms were restrained by cast iron cuffs chained to the wall. She looked down, her gown in tatters and stained with dirt.

"Gangrel will kill you himself come tomorrow." The man said, his pale skin seemingly glowing in this dark room.

Emmeryn shook her head.

"Why…" She muttered, barely having the energy to speak, her throat felt like hot fire.

"Because he hates you, he hates Ylisse, and he wants to destroy you and everything you love. I do offer a way out." He said, rubbing his chin.

"What?" She asked him.

The man grinned.

"I will give unto you a gift. When your friends arrive, you will use it. You will sacrifice them and gain the power to cast down Gangrel and save Ylisse. I care not for this place, ruin it as much as you like. Gangrel is not even a true apostle, that Behelit I gave him was weak. What I will give you is much more powerful." He produced a green egg shaped necklace from his sleeve, and threw it to her, it landed at her legs, and she frowned.

Sacrifice her friends?

"It's an option. A way to live. Think about it. I'm leaving now; I have other business to attend to." He said, opening the door and shutting it on his way out.

Emmeryn stared at the thing, and eventually that turned into a glare.

…

…

…

Guts took a deep breath, and looked up at the castle. His brand stung ever slightly, and he knew that Gangrel was there. The sand sunk beneath his feet, and the sun beat down on him, causing sweat to form on his brow. Next to the castle was an absolutely massive skeleton of a dragon. Larger than anything Guts had ever seen. Guts almost shuddered to imagine what it looked like alive; it was damn near the size of a mountain.

He passed through a village a few hours ago, and after a bit of eavesdropping, he discovered that Ylisstol had fallen, and Emmeryn had been taken prisoner in this very castle and was going to be executed sometime today. That meant he needed to get into the castle, kill everyone, and save Emmeryn.

Sounded simple enough.

Maybe if Chrom and the army showed up, they could back him up, but Guts couldn't afford to wait, he needed to get in there now. He willed his legs to move, which was hard to do considering how heavy he was on the ground, each step kicking up more and more sand.

He passed through another small town that led to the stone rampart that led up to the castle, the townsfolk stopping to gawk at the sprinting swordsman. He darted up the rampart, seeing that two Plegian soldiers stood guard at the iron palisade.

No time to waste.

He drew his sword, and using all of his momentum, and cleaved through the gate, splintering the flimsy metal before the guards even had a chance to react. He charged through his new entrance, ignoring the two men behind him that shouted for reinforcements. With each step, his brand stung further. A dirt courtyard full of troops stared at him, drawing their weapons.

Bowmen drew, and swordsman and axe wielders approached him. He held his massive blade towards them.

No time to waste.

Guts charged forward faster than a man with a sword that size should have been allowed, and cleaved through five men with a horizontal slash, their blood staining the courtyard and flying everywhere. He stabbed his dragonslayer through two men's torsos, and spun, flinging the bodies towards a group of archers that were beginning to fire arrows at him. The bodies knocked down about four of the archers, and Guts slashed again, cleaving through another three.

"Get the riders!" He heard a man yell.

"Get the King!" Another cried.

He slashed again, and again, blood covered the courtyard, and Guts had only just gotten started. They hadn't even been able to land a scratch on him yet. He went to go cleave another dozen men in half, when he felt himself get lifted up of the ground by his shoulders. He almost dropped his sword, but he maintained a grip. He looked up and saw that a wyvern had taken hold of him, and its rider was flying higher and higher. They were fifty feet in the air when Guts sunk his teeth into the wyvern's right ankle.

The beast let out an animalistic cry of pain, and Guts bit down harder. The taste of its irony blood filled his mouth. It let go of his right shoulder, and Guts lifted his sword, stabbing the beast through its long neck. Blood dripped down the blade of the Dragonslayer onto his bandaged hand, and he felt the blade slip out of its body. Along with that, he was falling towards the earth. He was even higher in the air when he was fighting Mael, this wouldn't kill him. He repositioned himself as best as he could, and let his sword lead the fall. He gripped the hilt of the blade with both his real and prosthetic arm, and put his feet on the broad part of the Dragonslayer where the grip and blade met.

It looked like he was on one of those toys he saw village children play on, he thought they were called pogo sticks.

The blade sunk into one poor individual below him, and as soon as motion halted, he jumped off of the hilt, kicking another Plegian in the face. When his feet hit the ground, he parried a sword aimed for his throat with his metal arm, and jabbed him in the throat. Guts heard his adams apple crack, and he dropped to the ground.

He quickly threw a knife into an incoming horseman's eye, causing him to fall onto the ground in a screaming fit of pain.

He grabbed the hilt of his blade and tugged, ripping it from the ground. Whatever remained of the man it landed off slid off, landing in the dirt with a wet splat. There was a moment of silence, the men around him had faces resembling that of a kicked puppy, and their eyes looked as if they were simple animals, full of fear of the predator before them.

He caught a glimpse of a few men fleeing near the back. It wouldn't be long before he destroyed their morale. He swung again, causing more to flee as more decapitated body parts were flung through the air. He put a mad smile on his face; this would be over faster if they thought him a monster rather than a man.

He was taken from his thoughts when he saw a massive bolt of lightning appear from the sky, striking the middle of the group in front of him, sending soldiers flying away, either dead or screaming in pain. One man landed at his feet, a charred husk with no clothes, likely burnt off by the impact. Its eyes looked as if they had melted out of its skull. Guts looked up from the burnt corpse below him, seeing a man head and shoulders taller than the other men.

His immense size was enough to give him away immediately.

Tibbar had reappeared.

…

…

…

Lucina gritted her teeth, and her eyes widened with fear. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Tibbar wasn't supposed to show up until much later! She watched from one of the watchtowers, which she had snuck into, dispatching its guard in the process. She had meant to watch the battle between Guts and Gangrels army, but she knew for a fact that Tibbar wasn't meant to be here now. Where was Gangrel? He should have showed up by now! The Plegian troops stepped away from the two of them, forming a circle.

She may have to intervene. She couldn't let her father die. Guts can handle an apostle on his own, but if Gangrel shows up as well, she was going down there; she just had to make sure that it would only be the two of them fighting for now. Guts may get hurt a little fighting Tibbar, but as long as he doesn't get overwhelmed if Gangrel shows up, then he'll win.

He always found a way to win.

" _My lord! Who're those children you have there? Why are you covered in blood? What happened in Ylisstol!?"_

" _Don't worry about that right now. You need to get the three of them out of here now. Get to the coast, I'll stay on the path here and hold them off. Just leave a horse tied to a tree a mile up the road and I'll follow."_

" _Father is… Mother too…"_

" _There's no time to weep now kid, now go, all of you."_

Her grip tightened on the grip of the Falchion.

 **Lol.**


	13. Chapter 13

**professionalemail101** **chapter 12 . Jul 19**

 **"Lol." You are officially my favorite author ever and I really want an update.**

 **Nivlac: Here you go.**

 **SilentXD7** **chapter 12 . Jul 11**

 **Interesting story. I hope you continue with the series and I see great potential in this story.**

 **Nivlac: thanks hun.**

 **Lost Revenant** **chapter 1 . Jun 30**

 **I was hoping when they asked him to become a peace keeper that he would say something along the lines of 'Do I look like a cop to you?'**

 **Nivlac: Cop do look like you I a you?**

 **a gatts laff** **chapter 1 . Jun 11**

 **Corrin: That man wanted to rape me! Guts: When I was a child my only father figure who beat me sold me off to a fat guy who raped me for 2 fucking silver coins.**

 **Nivlac: You reviewed the wrong story dude. That was in my other one.**

 **Der Kaiser** **chapter 12 . Jun 9**

 **they dont know Guts is the struggler and that he can interfere with the laws of causality.**

 **Nivlac: A hyuck.**

 **Cookiemonsterguy** **chapter 12 . May 29**

 **Cool story bro now give me a cookie**

 **Nivlac: 20$**

 **ReaperOfShadows125** **chapter 12 . May 22**

 **Oh god, man. This is a perfect blending of the two fandoms. I, I just can't take it. This is truly amazing. I feel the pain when someone gets hurt, the rage during the battles, and the helplessness of everything. I really hope that no one pulls a Griffith, but, and this is a credit to your writing, I can't tell if anyone would go that far.  
I don't really see Guts falling for anyone in the setting. The closest thing would probably be a pseudo father and daughter relationship with Lucina. Especially once she is actually born in universe.  
I can't wait to read more of this.**

 **Nivlac: Thanks for the lengthy review, its stuff like this that makes me want to update faster.**

 **Seto Kaiba** **chapter 12 . May 16**

 **A ghost of a chance? You know who else doesn't stand a ghost of a chance? YUGI.**

 **Nivlac: I draw EXODIA.**

 **Doomkiller10** **chapter 12 . May 11**

 **Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I LIKE it! I knew Guts would have no problem cleaving his way through Gangrel's army. But what's this? Griffith giving Emm a Behelit?! WHAT A TWIST!  
Good chapter my man, can't wait to see where this goes!**

 **Nivlac: It wasn't Griffith dude. It was that one guy that was with Gangrel at the canyon. (I should have been more descriptive fuck me)**

 **Guest** **chapter 12 . May 11**

 **Cool story. I cant wait for the next appearance of Griffith. If you make pairings, could you make Robin x Olivia?**

 **Nivlac: What are you gay dude? Jk. I'll THINK about it, note think about.**

 **Neema Amiry** **chapter 12 . May 10**

 **guts the nigga swordsman**

 **Nivlac: Awww sheeeiitt**

 **Guest** **chapter 19 . May 10**

 **Dude you need to stop updating it the chapter!**

 **Nivlac: Fanfiction glitched out on me and updated it fifty fucking times for some damned reason. I have no idea why it did that but it made me rage.**

"You're still one ugly bastard you know that?" Guts told the massive man.

Tibbar grinned.

"I have returned to conclude our duel; I heard you defeated Mael with a simple knife. No easy feat I'm sure." Tibbar turned to the other Plegian soldiers.

"If any of you interfere with this fight, I'll smash your skull into your body and send you down into hell." He said, letting the head of his club fall into his hand.

Many of the men flinched at that.

"Funny you say that, I'm about to send you there myself." Guts said, pointing his blade at the monster.

Tibbar grinned, and matched Gut's stance.

"That sword is so massive, that even my club can't dent it, it can double as a shield as well as a weapon. If I kill you today, I'll make sure that sword has a good home in my hands."

Guts wasted no time, and darted forward, swinging his massive blade in a horizontal arc, fully intent on cleaving the apostle in half. Tibbar batted the sword aside with a single swing, and counter swung, with Guts blocking the club with the flat of the Dragonslayer. His teeth rattled and his ears rung once the blow made contact; a deafening sound of metal striking metal.

Guts quickly drew his last throwing knife, and threw it towards Tibbar's midsection, it finding purchase in the left side of his chest. Blood leaked down from the fresh wound, with the small blade still sunk deep within his chest.

Tibbar didn't even pay it any mind, and swung at Guts again, who blocked it in kind. They exchanged blows like that for a long while, countering, parrying, dodging, and attacking. Neither of the warriors could quite get past the others defenses. Then Guts swung his sword towards his bald head, hoping to cleave it off of his broad shoulders.

Tibbar looked surprised for a moment, his eyes widening by a huge margin. Then in the split second before the blade cleaved him asunder, Tibbar opened his mouth.

His massive flat teeth chomped down on the blade, stopping it dead in its tracks. Guts didn't waste a second. He grabbed his dagger from its sheath at his belt, and stabbed it towards the apostle's throat. The blade found purchase in Tibbars massive jugular, blood spurting onto the blade. Tibbar punched Guts in his chest plate as a retort.

The blow was so powerful, that Guts could feel almost every rib he had crack. Blood flew from his mouth as he was knocked backwards a few feet. Only barely standing on his two feet, he was amazed that he still had a grip on his sword. The huge blade stayed connected to the strong magnet in his metal arm, and must have flown out of Tibbar's mouth when he was knocked back.

The giant ripped the dagger out of his throat, blood flowing from the fresh wound profusely. The apostle grinned, showing his massive teeth. He dug his fingers into the wound, and Tibbar began painting his face with it. When he was done, a red crescent moon shape traced itself from the apostle's forehead to his lower jaw. Guts brought his sword to bear once more, and Tibbar grabbed the dagger from the ground once more.

"When blood is drawn in such a… painful manner, you must mark yourself in it; and draw more from your enemies!" Tibbar shouted, charging at him again, this time wielding the dagger as well as the massive mace.

He clashed with Guts again, the Black Swordsman blocking the mace with his sword. Even with one hand, the blow was still enough to rattle his bones. Tibbar leaned in close to Gut's face, his breath smelling of fresh venison.

"I would have painted myself back at the canyon, but the circumstances wouldn't allow for such a display." Tibbar stated. "I won't let anyone ruin this duel!" The massive man shouted.

Guts then reared his head back, and smashed it into Tibbar's nose. Blood leaked from the monsters nose, but Tibbar didn't budge.

He snaked the dagger in between the space where the spot where the over-sized weapons met, and Guts barely had time to dodge his head to the left. The blade of the weapon nicked his jugular, much like he had done to Tibbar before.

Though not as severe, he could begin to feel the blood leak profusely from the wound. Gut's had been wounded pretty good. He had to end this before he lost too much blood. At the same time, Tibbar was still bleeding from his own wound, but apostles seemed to have the nasty habit of surviving major blood loss.

He felt a familiar tugging at the back of his consciousness, as if something… evil were trying to get his attention. He shrugged the feeling off, and turned his focus back to the massive mace wielding monster before him. They parted, and a man charged Guts, a small axe raised.

Guts raised his sword and swung it at the interloper, but as soon as his blade collided with the soldier's body, Tibbar's mace had knocked the Plegians head off. Blood exploded from the corpse like a crimson fountain, and the head that was knocked off by the mace collided with another soldiers head, knocking him to the ground.

"I told you all… If any of you interfere with this duel, I will kill you, one more time, and I'll forget about fighting him, and go about killing all of you!" Tibbar shouted, his voice booming across the courtyard.

At that point most of the soldiers fled out of the shattered palisade. A few did remain, but those ones had a certain look in their eye. Burning fury, respect, and awe. Most of them were older men, and they observed them with their arms crossed. One man with a long brown beard cleared his throat.

"Get on with it would you!" The old man demanded.

Tibbar grinned at the old soldier.

"Finally! A true warrior amidst these cowards!" Tibbar shouted, leaping back away from Guts.

He discarded the dagger, and held his mace towards the Black Swordsman. Guts matched the stance, and they circled around each other. They matched each other's stances a while, each eyeing the other's body, waiting for that one explosion of movement.

Tibbar lunged forwards, as did Guts, and they exchanged blows once more. Even more sparks flew, and Guts let out a scream of rage with every collision. Tibbar simply laughed. The monsters red eyes seemed to glow the longer they fought, and Guts could feel his muscles screaming at him.

"I haven't had this much fun since I last fought that oversized cat Zodd!" Tibbar shouted. "Everything he said about you is true- no even more so; you surpass your own legend! Defeater of Grunbeld, slayer of the Sea-God!"

Guts head hurt for a moment, and his brow furrowed. Upon the mention of those names, he clenched his teeth in pain as his head pounded. More memories began to surface. Fighting a man in a castle with massive pillars, stabbing a dragon apostle in the face, and piercing a massive beating heart with eyeballs cropped up in his mind, following many more. Guts faltered for a moment, and his blade slipped to the ground.

He waited for the colossal blow that would knock him backwards, but it never came. After his headaches, he opened his eyes, and saw Tibbar seemingly frozen.

Except the apostle blinked at him, confirming that he wasn't frozen in time.

"Are you done?" Tibbar asked him. "I refuse to kill you when you`re in the middle of… whatever you are doing. Hurry up and finish it. I will remain in place just like this until you are done." Tibbar said.

It looked comical. The giant man held his mace solidly in place, one of his feet was lifted off the ground, and his body was bent forwards. He looked like a ballerina but covered in blood and sporting too many muscles.

"Put your sword exactly where it was before you started doing that, and we'll continue." Tibbar stated.

"You… you cannot be serious." Guts told him.

Tibbar took a deep breath.

"I am deadly serious Black Swordsman." Tibbar said, his eyes conveying conviction.

His head still ached; otherwise he would run the apostle through and be done with it.

"Don't you dare think of cheating. Not only will it be dishonorable, but I will be forced to use my second form. I do despise using it, but cheap tactics get cheap tactics back. I will gladly allow you to kill me in this form if you are able to defeat it. Now hurry up, my arm is getting tired." Tibbar said, his arm lightly shaking.

Guts was about to retort, but was interrupted when a bolt of yellow lightning struck right next to his feet. Tibbar quickly backpedaled from the area where the lightning struck, as did Guts. They both glared angrily towards the top of the fortification where it originated from. On top of the sand colored wall, Gangrel stood, his eyes a milky white.

That's probably why the Mad King missed in the first place, but he was close. That must have meant that Gangrel compensated for his blindness with hearing.

"Move an inch, and I'll electrocute you where you stand, nothing can stand my bolts. Not even you Guts. You miserable bastard. Stand there until you fall from the heat." Gangrel stated, standing completely still and leaning against his lightning shaped blade.

Several soldiers immediately froze, not budging an inch. Tibbar glared at Gangrel, and clenched his teeth in rage.

"You dare taint my honor you false apostle! I will tear your head from your worthless body!" Tibbar shouted, taking a step forward.

Gangrel reacted lighting fast (No pun intended) and launched a bolt of lightning right towards Tibbar's head. It tore through the air, causing a thundering boom that shook the entire yard. The air smelt burnt as a result. The apostle didn't even have time to react before the bolt caught him dead center in the face. Tibbar flew backwards into a wall, and slumped down. His face now unrecognizable. It was pure black charred flesh, still smoking.

No facial features remained.

"Tear the head from my body huh? Worthless fool. I must have hit him in his big dumb head. I just aimed a bit higher from where I heard the noise. That worked fantastically!" Gangrel stated giggling madly with glee. "Your move Black Swordsman, I would be glad to turn you into charcoal. I've been working on the force of this blade, now it can turn anyone into a gory explosion!"

Guts almost stopped breathing. How well could Gangrel hear? Could the Mad King hear him breathing? Based on the mad monarch's expression, it didn't seem like it. He constantly alternated from his left and right ear, leaning it towards the courtyard.

Out of curiosity, Guts silently grabbed a stone from the ground, and threw it on the other side of the courtyard. The stone hit the wall, and almost as soon as it had happened, Gangrel flung a bolt of lightning from his sword towards the source of the noise, and the wall exploded from the force, sending stone flying everywhere.

That was it!

As soon as the rubble struck the ground, Guts charged as many steps as he could towards Gangrel's position. Gangrel had struck almost everywhere else the stones had landed on. It was terrifying how fast it traveled, just as fast as normal lighting. Gangrel himself wasn't that fast of course, but the magic from the blade matched that of actual lighting.

"Do you think you're clever!?" Gangrel shouted. "I'll turn you into the Blacker Swordsman for that insult!"

Considering the fact that Tibbar no longer had a face, Guts was fairly certain that if he was hit with that lightning, it would roll around in his metal armor until the energy exited from his skull. He can't remember where he learned that from, but lighting was attracted to metal…

Guts eyes widened.

That may be his only chance. When the lightning flew towards Tibbar, it didn't hit the mace, but the weapon was lower to the ground. He raised his Dragonslayer towards the sky as high as he possibly could, hoping that the lightning wouldn't arc down the hilt.

Before Guts could test his theory however Gangrel leaped down from his place atop the wall.

"I'll just fry this entire yard! To hell with the lot of you!" Gangrel shouted.

He swung his lightning blade in a horizontal arc, and a line of electricity spread out from the Mad King's blade. It went straight out, electrocuting the remaining men in the courtyard, causing their heads to explode like balloons.

The line of lightning actually seemed to lift up over Gut's head, brushing the tip of his Dragonslayer. Lightning surged down the blade into the hilt and finally into his hands. It took all of his willpower not to let out a shout of pain, or intense annoyance.

Gangrel cupped his right ear, and aimed it all around the courtyard. Guts held his breath. The massive weight of dragonslayer became all the more apparent to him holding it over his head like this. He carried the massive blade every day, but this was the first time that he had to hold it in this fashion for a prolonged period of time.

Gangrel continued to rotate his head to every part of the courtyard, doing that for a whole minute. Guts decided he wasn't a fan of holding his breath. The Mad King finally smirked, and let out a yell of victory.

"Take that you over-compensator!" Gangrel shouted.

Gangrel then began to dance around the courtyard, singing to himself. He slammed face first into a wall, but since the King thought he was alone, he continued his insane dance. He was drawing closer and closer within reach to Gut's blade. He just needed to hold his breath a while longer.

Suddenly, Gangrel froze, looking towards Gut's general direction.

"Funny, I don't remember hearing the clang of an oversized sword striking the ground." Gangrel stated, marching closer towards Guts, electricity arcing across his thin blade.

"One more sweep should do it then, just to be safe!" Gangrel shouted.

Guts clenched his teeth, and was about to brace himself for another wave of pain. However, something flew right next to Gangrel's ear, a small round brown ball of… something. For a moment, it almost looked as if it had small wings…

Guts glanced towards the watch tower, seeing a black figure disappear. Before he could think more on the subject however, the small ball exploded in a flash of white light.

An ear piercing sound echoed through the courtyard, and Gangrel shouted in pain, dropping to his knees and clutching his ears in pain. The Black Swordsman noted how they began to bleed, and wasted no time, charging towards the Mad King while taking a huge breath.

How come Gangrel didn't hear that thing fly towards him? Another question for later. Guts swung downwards vertically, fully intent on cutting Gangrel in half starting at the spinal cord. However, the Mad Monarch thrashed violently to the left. Guts had only been able to chop off the king's right arm as a result.

Gangrel shouted in pain, and didn't take the time to retrieve his sword, instead opting to run head first into a wall. He screamed in pain, and Guts walked over to the lightning blade. He gripped the hilt of it, and stabbed it into the ground next to him. He glared back towards the mad fool stumbling around, trying to feel his way around for an exit.

"Aversa help me! Please!" He shouted.

Guts threw a stone right next to Gangrel, just to see if the king would react to the stimuli.

He did not.

Guts actually gave a true smile. He finally got to cleave this bastard from the rest of his body. Guts aimed a couple of throwing knives towards the king's ankles, and threw them; causing Gangrel to drop to the ground. Blood leaked from the king's various wounds, leaving a trail of blood flowing from his every teeth clenched crawl.

Gangrel still felt his way along the wall, and Guts narrowed his eye, when Gangrel reached Tibbar's corpse. Gangrel actually attempted to climb over the corpse, but Gut's eye widened when Tibbar's massive hand clamped Gangrels throat. Tibbar grew to a monstrous size, his legs turning animalistic and covered with gray fur.

His face and upper body also became covered with the same kind of gray fur, and massive floppy ears sprouted from the top of Tibbar's head. His hands had grown to resemble paws, and his legs were massively muscled, he had three toes for each foot, and three fingers for each hand (or paw in this instance) Tibbar stood tall, and only then did Gut's realize Tibbar's true apostle form.

His big floppy ears and black shiny eyes were a dead giveaway on their own. Tibbar was a giant bunny. Guts could scarcely believe it, the bloodthirsty apostle that had been dogging his steps since their first meeting in the canyon was actually a giant damned rabbit! His torso and upper arms were humanoid, covered in rippling muscle as well as soft looking fur. It was almost too much for him to take in, he wanted to laugh.

And he would have, if Tibbar wasn't glaring right at him.

"Is there a problem with rabbits Black Swordsman!?" The giant bunny yelled, almost sounding… defensive.

He had a small, pink snout of a nose, and long white whiskers on each end of his chubby face.

"Just thinking about how I'm going to turn you into stew." Guts replied.

A few moments of silence (Besides Gangrel's screaming anyhow) passed, and then the oversized bunny let out a laugh, the apostle's small nose twitching with delight.

 **Review you fucking fuck.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm back, starting next chapter, I'll be increasing the length by 2,000 words, so enjoy.**

 **You cunt.**

"Hahaha! Yes, I am a huge bunny. Go on then! Laugh at my ridiculous form!" Tibbar shouted.

Guts merely shook his head in response.

"This is one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. Are you going to kill him already? Or do you want me to do it?" Guts asked.

Tibbar's nose twitched in response.

"I want to test my throwing arm. A bullion says I throw him right into his throne room!" Tibbar declared.

Guts raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell is a bullion?" He asked the bunny.

The apostle merely looked at him, and then looked back to Gangrel, who was still screaming bloody murder.

"It's nothing. I'm going to throw this wretched coward right through his castle!" Tibbar shouted once more, jumping high in the air.

He reared back his arm, and threw the Mad King at terminal velocity towards the fort. The false apostle crashed through the sand colored stone of his castle, disappearing somewhere within. Guts sighed. It was highly unlikely that Gangrel survived, but knowing his luck, he would get up there and find out that getting rammed through a wall actually heals him or something.

Guts shook his head. That was the least of his troubles now. He brought his blade to bear, and aimed it at the giant rabbit apostle. Tibbar looked down towards the Black Swordsman, and shrunk back down to his human-ish form. Tibbar cracked his neck, and then raised a hand to Guts.

"No. We can't fight right now. We both suffered wounds from third parties. We'll fight later, when we've both recovered from our injuries, that way it can be a fair fight." Tibbar stated.

Guts spat blood onto the dirt.

"Have it your way bunny man. I'll kick your ass next time, count on it." Guts said.

Tibbar grinned, showing off his massive teeth.

"Good! Next time, no one will stop us. We will battle from sun up to sunset until one of us dies! Songs about our battle shall be sung about by bards for millennia to come!" Tibbar shouted. "For some… side entertainment while I wait for you to recover, I have caught wind of a man on a secluded island. Descendant of some… Radiant Hero or whatnot. Apparently his strength is legendary. I will put that to the test once I find and kill him in an honorable duel to the death! After I face the Conqueror of Valm of course. By then, you will have fully recovered for sure. Make sure to train your sword arm for me, for I will return to seek it, this I swear on the bloody crescent."

Guts shook his head again.

"Would you just fuck off already?" He asked.

Tibbar smiled once again.

"Just know that I'll be back Black Swordsman." Tibbar replied, before seemingly vanishing into thin air.

Guts took another breath, and looked over to the base of the wall where Tibbar had landed earlier. Much to Gut's surprise, he saw that the big bunny had left his mace there. As soon as he noticed that however, Tibbar reappeared right where it was at.

"Whoops, almost forgot." He stated as he grabbed the hilt of his mace once more, slinging it over his shoulder.

Just like that, he had disappeared once more. That was when Guts noticed the giant footprints forming in the dirt, heading towards the broken down portcullis. He could turn invisible too? Wonderful. Guts sighed, and clipped his sword at his back, turning his lone eye back towards the hole in the upper most part of the castle where Gangrel had been thrown. He had better make sure that he was dead, Guts wasn't going to just assume the best.

He marched straight over to the small brown wooden doors that lead into a portion of the castle. When he made it inside, he found himself in a narrow hallway with a red rug stretching out far ahead of him; the stone walls had several paintings of red headed men and women with the same crown that Gangrel had been wearing, likely the mad Kings predecessors. Several candles lit the way and were pinned up next to several wooden doors.

Guts pulled out his dagger. Tight spaces like this weren't good for his sword, not only would it be a pain to draw it, but swinging it would be nigh impossible with how cramped it was. He wouldn't be able to build up enough momentum to even cleave through the walls if he wanted too. Who made hallways this narrow? It was as if it was made for a single person to walk through at a time, his shoulders almost scraped against the walls as he pushed forwards, the creepy insane eyes of the previous kings of Plegia staring at him from their paintings.

A couple of Plegian troops entered the hall one at a time from an open door, the two of them had swords drawn, and looked towards the Black Swordsman.

"Intruder! Kill him good!" The closest one shouted.

Guts quickly drew a throwing knife and tossed it right into that soldier's skull, the man in question falling right onto his face, causing the blade to sink even further within his skull as it was hammered further in. Blood pooled around the skull of the body, soaking the stone and appearing almost invisible against the rug.

"Gah! Never mind I'm leaving!" The remaining one shouted, fleeing back within the room he exited out of.

The door was slammed shut, and when Guts ran closer, he heard a metallic click from the lock. He raised his right foot, and smashed the door open, splintered wood flying everywhere. The room he found himself looking into was Spartan, with barely anything in it save for a couple of beds and a round table in the center. The square room was adorned with nothing except for the stone that made up its walls. The soldier that attempted to lock himself in was backing away with his hands raised in defense.

"Oh please no! No!" He shouted, tripping backwards and landing on his rear, continuing to back away.

Guts walked right next to the table, and stuck his daggers blade deep within the wood, sticking it there. Guts sneered, and bared his teeth.

"Where is the Exalt?" He snarled out, clenching his remaining fist.

The young man gulped and took a deep breath.

"She's in the dungeons… where else?" He responded, promptly covering his mouth afterwards. "Sorry I didn't mean to sass I just do that when I'm under a lot of pressure you know like when this massive guy with a knife kills a guard guy you worked with for like a week to guard a meaningless hallway and then he gets killed you just kind of let go and let the body do the talking for you ya see I didn't mean-"

"Shut up!" Guts shouted, cutting the soldier off from his near incoherent rant. "Where are the dungeons?"

The man raised a finger, pointing it outside of the room.

"It's uh… I think it's… oh yeah! It's over on the west side, a lower level! Now please don't kill me just hit me really hard in the face or something but not too hard you know I don't want to mar my pretty face and you know what I'll just do it myself." He said, smashing himself in the face with his fist. "Oh that didn't feel too good… I don't think I'm good at the whole knocking myself out thing you know could you just do it for me actually now that I think about it." He said as Guts drew closer. "You don't have to hit or kill me at all you could just let me stay here and think about life and all that and it'll be good we won't have to be hurting either of us and-"The young soldier was cut off by Gut's knee slamming right into his chin, knocking him unconscious.

The Black Swordsman huffed with annoyance, and turned back to the doorway, proceeding through. He knew that making sure Gangrel being dead was important, but saving Emmeryn from the dungeon took that objectives place as top priority. What was he thinking? He came here to do both, but he should have been thinking of saving the Exalt. Chrom and his army were coming soon, if Guts let Emmeryn die then all of their efforts would have been for nothing.

Following the guards directions, he made headway towards the dungeons, meeting no resistance along the way. Perhaps most of them had been in the courtyard when Gangrel fried it, but if that was the case, why were those two guards in a hall if they didn't really need to defend it? Were they slackers?

It didn't matter

He turned the corner and headed west down a hallway, which had a single iron cast door at the end of it.

Guts reached the end of the corridor, and gripped the looped door handle, pulling it open. Inside was a stone chamber with several iron barred cells on the right side of the room, a man sat asleep in a chair, and another one was leaned up against a wall with his shoulder, looking at the opposite direction. At the end of the chamber was another cast iron door with several steel bolts and an eye slot that was slid closed.

Guts marched swiftly up to the man leaning against the wall, and grabbed him by the hair, eliciting a scream of surprise and pain. He yanked backwards, causing the guard to fall back on his rear. Guts kicked him in the nose with his armored boot, the back of his head smacking against the stone floor. Blood oozed out of his nose (Which was now bent a little further to the left) which he covered with his hand.

He opened his mouth to yell something, but Guts kicked him in the face again, knocking him unconscious (Or dead possibly) and approached the man who was still somehow sleeping at his desk. He kicked the chair out from under him and the guardsman fell to the ground with surprise. Guts grabbed the dazed man by the throat and hoisted him up, pinning him against the nearest wall and choking him.

"Where is the Exalt?" He growled out.

The guard remained wide eyed as he began pointing wildly towards the door at the end of the hallway. Guts smashed his skull into the man's forehead, knocking him unconscious. The guard fell to the floor with a thud, and The Black Swordsman continued towards the door. He gripped the door, and attempted to pull it open, only to find that it was locked. Guts grit his teeth. Nothing could be simple. He went back over to the two guards, and searched their pockets, coming up with a huge ring of numerous keys.

The amount of keys there was equated to the size of his fist, and he internally groaned, marching back over to Emmeryns cell. One by one he tried the keys, letting out a curse for each one that failed to unlock the door.

…

…

…

Gangrel lay broken, blood pooling around his body. This had to be the worst pain that the Mad King had ever felt in his life. He could neither hear, nor see anything. He hated them… The Black Swordsman and that damned true apostle. Tibbar that bunny bastard, he would rue the day he threw Gangrel through his own castle. He attempted to will himself to move, but he merely convulsed, more shattered bones poking through his blood soaked flesh and clothing. The accursed ringing in his ears did not cease, if anything it felt as if it intensified, piercing his senses like a spear.

Was he really going to die like this? He wanted to bring glory to Plegia, not lead it into ruin… him kidnapping the Exalt, taking the Fire Emblem; it was all to bring glory to his nation. Not only that of course, but Walhart the conquerors eye was looking across the sea, to all three nations. If they were not united, then Ferox, Ylisse, and Plegia would fall to him.

If Gangrel had been successful and united the continent, then maybe they could have stood a chance against the Conquerors forces, but now? He couldn't stand, hear, or even see. He was useless. All the power that the Behelit bestowed upon him had failed him horribly. In the end, he just wasted the lives of his soldiers using it. What would become of Plegia? He had no sons, no daughters, no heir to speak of!

Who would seize control? That fool Validar? The harlot Aversa? Those were the only two he could see taking his precious country, driving it further into ruin with their obsession with Grima. When he had all but given up hope, he felt a thick liquid pour into his mouth…

…

…

…

After trying every single key except for on final one, Guts finally got the cell open, pulling open the door and stowing the keys in his belt bag. Inside the cell was the curled up form of Emmeryn, her arms suspended above her with gray metal shackles. Her robes had been replaced with brown rags, and her blonde hair was caked with dirt and was sticking about all over the place. He approached her slumped form, and grabbed the shackles, ripping the left one out of the wall then proceeding to the right. Emmeryn groaned, and looked up, her eyes widening by a wide margin.

"It's… you. Did Chrom make it here?" She asked him.

Guts shook his head then took a knee, getting to work on getting the shackles off of her wrists. The metal gave way under his raw strength, and they fell away, clattering to the ground.

"I left them a while back, but they should be on their way. Can you stand?" Guts asked her.

Emmeryn nodded.

"Yes, but may you help me up?" The Exalt asked him.

Guts nodded back, and stood back up. He offered his hand to Emmeryn, and she accepted. Guts pulled gently, bringing her shakily to her feet. She took a deep breath, and Guts let her go. The dull pain in the back of his neck was still ongoing, but he wasn't sure if it was because Gangrel was still alive or if Tibbar was still lurking somewhere.

It was more likely that the Mad King still lived, despite how injured he was. However, when he had entered the room he could have sworn that it had gotten slightly worse. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and his lone eye had not stopped scanning the room. Nothing was going to take him by surprise. He looked and saw a string wrapped around her neck, with a little bauble that was bulging out in the cloth between the top of her breasts. If they took everything else away from her, why did they leave one single necklace?

He felt nauseous looking at it, and turned away, looking towards the exit of the chamber.

"Stay behind me and do exactly as I say." Guts said, marching out of the doorway.

Emmeryn complied, staying directly behind him as they backtracked throughout the whole castle until they eventually found themselves at the door Guts had entered from the courtyard. After checking every single room on the way over to the exit, he would motion for Emmeryn to proceed forward. He would do the same here.

Guts marched out to the middle of the courtyard, his single wary eye scanning every single nook and cranny he could see. No archers in the tower, no soldiers pouring through the shattered palisade, no angry apostles showing up out of nowhere. Everything seemed to check out. He turned back, and gestured for Emmeryn to follow after him. She paused for a moment, pulling the necklace off of her.

Before Guts could make out what it was, she chucked it with what he could only assume was rage down the hallway, before slamming the door behind her.

"Never…" She muttered, marching over to the Black Swordsman.

"What was that?" Guts asked her.

Emmeryn took a deep breath, her brow already covered in sweat from the sun.

"A man in a red cloak gave me a green egg shaped necklace with facial features on it. He said I would use it to sacrifice everyone I cared for in order to survive. To think that I had that disgusting thing around my neck for all that time sickens me… I had almost forgotten it was there after I first saw you Guts. Thank you." Emmeryn said.

 _A Behelit!?_

"They always come back." Guts said his head pounding. He let out a grunt of pain. "The Behelit will find its way back into your hands somehow, they always do. It'll show up during the worst point of your life, when your will is at its weakest… best to try and break it!"

Guts marched towards where she had thrown the necklace, re-entering the hallway. He scanned the entire entrance, but found no sign of the cursed object.

"Fuck!" He shouted, slamming his metal fist into the nearest wall, a crack forming.

"What is it?" Emmeryn asked voice full of concern.

"It's gone! Damn it all! You have to promise me now, that if that damned thing _ever_ finds its way back into your hands, you'll refuse its offer, and you'll throw it just as you did now. Promise me." Guts said. "Or Gangrel and his army won't be the ones to kill you. That thing will turn you into a monster; it'll break you down mentally, and try to raise you up as one of the apostles."

Guts knew what he just implied. _If_ Emmeryn used the power the Behelit offered, then he would kill her, just like any of the others. His headache worsened, and the image of a naked girl with moth like eyes and wings appeared in his mind.

He shook his head.

Emmeryn looked down to the ground.

"You have no need to fear. I would never use its power. No matter the situation I promise you Guts, I won't ever use it. Even if Ylisstol were to crumble and my siblings were to fall, I still wouldn't use that _cursed_ thing." She told him.

Guts eased up, and rolled his neck. If there was one thing that Emmeryn was good at, it was sounding sincere.

"I'll hold you too it. Let's get you home." Guts said.

He wasn't going to take the risk of finishing Gangrel off and leaving Emmeryn defenseless. He would get her back to Chrom and the others, and then return to make sure the job was done.

After that, he would have to hold up his promise to Virion.

 **Welp, I guess it's time to update "Of Different Worlds" now...**


	15. Chapter 15

**I did it. Again. Read it. Again.**

Guts continued forwards, his lone eye looking distrustfully towards everything. Emmeryn lagged slightly behind, still somewhat stumbling under the hot sun. She leaned her weight from one foot to the other one, elevating each one off of the hot stone with every moment they stood still. The two of them were sneaking through the capital; Guts didn't want to risk an archer getting a clear shot of her. They marched down an alleyway as a line of troops ran for the castle, their footsteps thundering across the cobbled stone walkways. The alley was covered with shade, and Emmeryn ceased dancing on her bare feet when her flesh met the cool stone.

Guts looked down to her feet, and frowned. He gestured for her to follow him behind a wooden stack of logs, and they both knelt down.

"What is it Guts?" Emmeryn asked.

Guts raised his index finger to his lips, and reached inside one of his bags, pulling out a pair of his socks.

"They're a little big for you, but it'll stop your feet from burning." Guts whispered. "And don't worry, they're clean."

Emmeryn smiled, and gratefully took the over-sized socks, slipping them on her feet. They could almost reach her knees if she pulled them to their full height, but the way she wore them looked more akin to wearing small pillowcases on her feet as socks. She nodded to Guts, and the Black Swordsman nodded back. The two of them continued their way to the end of the alleyway, Guts raising his hand for the Exalt to halt her movement.

He peered out from the exit of the alley, making sure that no one else was coming. It expanded out into a desert that stretched as far as the eye could see. The two of them could go into the desert, and circumvent the largest part of the city, avoiding guards and enemy soldiers alike. Guts could probably find a hood for her to wear or something akin to it once they reached a small village.

He would probably need to don his own hood, not that it would do him any good. It would be impossible not to recognize him by even the hilt of his massive sword at this point. Most likely anyhow, unless for some reason the dozens of people who saw him charging the gates didn't give a physical description of what he looked like.

Guts couldn't count on them to be reticent about that.

He was about to walk out into the desert, but he realized that doing so would leave the two of them out in the open, nowhere to hide if more soldiers appeared, so it was either sneak through the city and try to make it out undetected onto the main road, which again would be loaded with soldiers likely looking for them before the days end. The desert was the best option the two of them had.

He walked out into the hot sands, with the Exalt following closely behind, sand flooding her oversized socks. They continued on for a mile, sweat forming on their brows. Guts looked all around him, and looked to Emmeryn.

"It looks like we're safe for now. We either have to find Chrom's army, or I have to drop you off back at Ylisstol." Guts explained. "If we can't find Chrom along the way to Ylisstol, I'm taking you back there and heading back out to find him."

Emmeryn nodded.

"I understand, and again I would like to thank you for your rescue. When this is all over I could make you an honorary member of my court if you would like?" She asked.

Guts shook his head.

"No can do, I don't think I'd be good around all those fancy nobles. Besides, I have to go deliver a letter after this is all said and done." Guts said.

Emmeryn smiled.

"Of course, but after your done delivering that letter what do you plan to do?" The Exalt asked.

Guts paused.

"I don't really know myself. Bits and pieces of who I am gradually keep coming back. I figure that after I'm done with that letter I'll know who I am. Maybe I have someone to go back to." Guts said.

Emmeryn nodded, and almost stumbled over her feet, catching herself in the nick of time before face planting onto the warm sand. She laughed.

"Well, if for whatever reason you don't have a home to get back to, you are always welcome in Ylisstol, friend." She said.

"I can't exactly turn down an offer like that." Guts said.

It was likely that he wouldn't come back after he was done with Virion's letter. If the piece of paper Marth gave him was only a temporary ward against the evil that pursued him, he would never go back to Ylisstol. It would be best for him to continue to wander, assuming of course that it wasn't permanent. If it was permanent… He wouldn't mind coming back to Ylisse. Before he had to leave, the Shepherds were somewhat beginning to grow on the Black Swordsman. There was a certain familiarity to fighting alongside them.

They both continued their march like that for an hour, and then took a sharp right. Guts knew that in this direction, the woods that he was in before he arrived in this desert lay in wait. It was a day or two away, but he had enough water for him and Emmeryn to survive for that long. If he wasn't wrong, there was also an isolated little village that they could stop in along the way to that forest.

He would still have to be careful of course, he could never be _too_ careful. They continued on like that for a while, eventually coming to a stop at the base of a massive sand dune. The sun had set, and the desert cold had arrived. Emmeryns teeth chattered, and she sat down, tucking her hands in her armpits. Guts wasn't bothered by the cold.

He removed his black cape, and draped it around Emmeryns shoulders. She wrapped the whole thing around herself, leaving only her face visible.

"Thank you, but are you not cold yourself?" She asked. "Deserts can get horribly freezing at night."

Guts shook his head.

"It's nothing; try to get some rest alright? I'll keep watch." Guts said.

Emmeryn bowed while still wrapped up in the cloak, and lay on her side, shutting her eyes. Guts took his sword, and laid it flat against the sand, inspecting every little knick and small dent in the metal. He wondered where each of them came from. These marks were there even when he first woke up in Ylisse, so they must have come from battles before he lost his memory.

There was one single large dent in the center of the blade… almost as if a massive hammer came crashing down upon it. Another headache came along, with another memory. He was in a burning forest, apostles all around him, with a single one standing taller than its fellow monsters. It was decked in full plate mail, its individual metal plates looking like the scales of a dragon. The helmet was forged in the image of a dragon with an open mouth, where the giants face was revealed.

Red eyebrows and red eyes with a long face and jagged shark like teeth, the monster sneered down at him. In the castle earlier that day… Tibbar had mentioned a name to him that he could no doubt attribute to this monster.

 _Grunbeld._

With his shield he fired a cannon blast at the Black Swordsman, and with his hammer he smashed Guts with ease. How did Guts defeat this monster? He could not remember… he looked down to his armor in an attempt to quell the pain of his migraine. His eyes widened with realization upon looking upon the jagged wolf like teeth built onto the chest plate of is armor.

 _Berserker armor._

That was how! The armor allowed him to access great strength at an equally great cost. Well, that was how he got the armor anyhow, that's one mystery solved. The function of the armor made him lose any sense of himself, that was one thing he remembered about it. Guts decided that it would be best to never call upon the abilities of his armor around allies, for he would slay them as well as his foes.

The problem however, was that Guts wasn't sure if he did have any control over it. When he fought Tibbar, he felt some sort of tugging in the back of his mind, something trying to get his attention. When he fought Mael, Guts was certain that the armor must have activated. That would explain why he was such a wreck when Chrom and the others found him, and why he was able to beat Mael with just a knife.

If he figured out how to control it, he would be unbeatable. Until then, he wasn't going out of his way to activate it. An hour passed of him observing the marks on his blade, trying to piece together his lost history, when he noticed the pitter patter of tiny feet sprinting across the sand dunes, just barely audible.

It was growing louder, and a second, larger pair of footsteps was following close behind the first. Guts stood up, and gripped the hilt of his blade, pointing it in the direction of the noise. Around his side of the sand dune they grew closer, and he could have sworn that he heard some words being shouted, but couldn't make them out.

One of them sounded childish, like a little girl, while the other sounded like a foreign older man. It was likely then that these weren't soldiers pursuing Guts and Emmeryn, but the Black Swordsman wasn't going to take any risks.

"Emmeryn." Guts said, loud enough to wake her up. "Get behind me now."

Emmeryn sat up, and upon noticing his stance, complied immediately. She hid behind his large frame, making it just a tiny bit harder for her to be noticed. If whoever showed up tried to just glance past him a little bit, they would notice her, but having her stay behind him minimized the risk of her being targeted by any bows they might have.

The voices were getting much easier to understand now, as they drew ever closer.

"Get away from me you old creep!" The childish one shouted between bated breaths.

"Gregor just want to protect! And you much older than Gregor!" The older voice shouted.

Guts raised his eyebrow. The girl only sounded about twelve, maybe fifteen, while the older one sounded like he was in his early forties. How on earth would the owner of the female voice be the older of the two? An image popped up in his mind of a tiny wrinkled old lady running towards him with her kid voice, with the older voice being the twelve year old in the situation.

He shook his head.

Why was he having stupid thoughts? His stupid thought was proven wrong when the first voice rounded the dune, seeing Guts she dropped to her rear, and crawled backwards with a scream of surprise. Guts was put off by the way she appeared.

Sharp, pointed ears almost hidden under long, wild green hair that reached down to her back. Similarly colored eyes were wide open with fear upon seeing the blade. She wore garments that weren't really garments at all; they were more like small clothes made from some kind of scales. A small turquoise stone was tied at her hip. Her face was round and childish, appearing like she wasn't even out of her teens.

Soon, the other pair of footsteps appeared. A large man with spiky orange hair and a broad face rounded the dune. His clothes were reddish orange, with a large green shield worn atop his right shoulder like a pauldron. Guts had seen several other soldiers in Ferox and even in Ylisse wearing a similar get up.

"Oh. That is big sword." The man said, stopping in his tracks before running over the girl.

"You had both better leave." Guts said.

The young girl hopped up to her feet, brushing the sand off of her legs.

"But I just got here!" She yelled, pouting.

"Guts, that's a Manakete." Emmeryn whispered behind him.

He turned his head to look at the Exalt, his brow furrowed.

"A what?" He asked.

The two new arrivals looked past Guts, seeing Emmeryn standing closely behind the Black Swordsman. The man narrowed his eyes, and then widened them, dropping to one knee instantly.

"You are Exalt! Gregor know it. Gregors been to Ylisstol a few times. Heard you were taken by the Mad King last time Gregor was in a town." The man said in his thickly accented voice.

Was he referring to himself in the third person? The man called Gregor looked up to the girl.

"Girl is Nowi. Gregor save her from slavers. Gregor repaid with insults and punches to groin for trying to keep her safe."

"I can take care of myself!" Nowi shouted at him.

"Leave. Now." Guts said a little more stern.

Nowi placed her fists on her hips, and stuck her tongue out at the Black Swordsman.

"Why does big sword man have Exalt? You rescue?" Gregor asked, standing back up.

"Yes, he rescued me." Emmeryn answered. "But he is right; it's not safe for you two to be around us. Please, for your own safety you should leave us. We don't know how many soldiers might be pursuing us."

Guts remained silent. He obviously couldn't scare these two away by ordering it, but maybe Emmeryn could convince them to leave. Gregor scratched his chin.

"If that is what Exalt wants, who is Gregor to say no?" Gregor said. "I follow dragon girl until Gregor know she safe from bad men."

Nowi's ears seemed to lower themselves slightly.

"I don't need heeeellllpppp…" She groaned, walking in a random direction.

Gregor went to follow after her, but Guts said

"Wait, if you end up meeting Prince Chrom of Ylisse along the way, or any Ylisseans for that matter, tell them that I have Emmeryn safe." Guts said. "I would appreciate it."

Gregor smiled, and flashed the Black Swordsman a thumbs up.

"You can count on Gregor if he runs into them… err… what it big sword man's name?" Gregor asked.

"It's Guts." The swordsman told him.

After that, the two temporary interlopers went on their merry way; their bickering audible for what felt like another mile. He sat back down, and craned his neck to the left, and then the right. Emmeryn too sat back down, and easily slipped back into her slumber. It felt like a day couldn't go by without something odd happening.

He felt the fresh bandage on his neck, a reminder of his fight with Tibbar earlier. Who was he talking about earlier? Walhart? Radiant hero? Ugh… He had a long night to stay awake.

…

…

…

Chrom clenched his teeth as he drew ever closer to the Plegian capital, the massive skeleton that was once Grima (At least the locals claimed) looming over his forces no matter where they went. Gut's companion Pippin had been tagging along the whole way; helping them fend off several Plegian soldiers at once.

The Shepherds mostly welcomed him into their ranks, but Chrom would often see him talking to himself. He didn't speak much, but when he spoke it was impossible not to hear and listen. Kellam had gotten along fine with the giant, whenever Kellam could be seen that was. Now that Chrom thought about it, maybe Pippin wasn't talking to himself; maybe Kellam's natural stealthiness didn't affect the giant.

Pippin had proved very useful in the battles leading to this point, his raw strength and size being enough to intimidate some of the enemy into surrender. Well that, and the fact that a massive of Feroxi soldiers were at their backs along with a group of elite Ylissean soldiers.

He wondered if Guts had been successful on his mission to save his sister. He had not heard of anything along the way. It had been days since the army had last passed through a village, so they hadn't questioned anyone. They had spies in the Plegian capital that were to report back to them as soon as something newsworthy happened.

So far, they had not gotten a single one back.

They trudged onwards, covering miles worth of territory. Chrom and Lissa both were fearful, not for their lives, but for their sisters life. They could only imagine the horror that the Plegians had put her through. After the sun had set, the army was called to a halt.

The troops had been marching for two days straight; they needed rest in order to fight effectively. Tomorrow they would reach the capital. They needed to be at their best for the fight ahead. Chrom leaned up against a wooden barrel outside of his tent. The other tents were set up in several vertical rows, almost as far as the eye could see, with his being towards the center of it.

Robin stood with his arms crossed across from him.

"Tomorrows the day Chrom." Robin said. "We should probably get some rest, if we can."

Chrom nodded. He understood, it was going to be hard to sleep without the thought of tomorrow's battle coming to mind, and the high stakes involved with it. Chrom himself was so jittery he would be surprised if he would get even a single hour of rest, let alone a full night of it. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to try of course.

"We should… it'll be difficult, but we need to be at our best." Chrom said.

He stopped leaning on the barrel, and stretched his arms outwards. That was when the both of them heard a pair of feet pounding against the sand towards them. They both turned their head and saw that a man wearing a hood with a cloth mask on was sprinting towards them, a sword sheathed at his belt. Chrom immediately rested his hand on the hilt of the Falchion.

The masked man slid to a stop, and kneeled. Chrom let out a breath, and removed his hand from his sword.

"My lord Chrom, I bring excellent news." The man said. "I was in the Plegian capital gathering information from the citizens there, when Lord Guts charged Gangrels castle. I know not of the details, but he was successful in rescuing your sister. She is no longer in the capital."

Chrom and Robin looked to each other, and smiled.

"That is good news!" Chrom shouted. "Where are they now?"

The man looked up to Chrom.

"Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure. I know that he went in there, got the Exalt, and then snuck out." He said.

Robin raised a finger.

"Did he slay Gangrel?" The tactician asked.

The man remained silent for a moment.

"I had heard that he was badly wounded, but no, he is not dead." He said.

Chrom nodded.

"Then we still need to get in there and finish what Guts started." Chrom said. "I will petition my sister to give that man land when I can. Then again, she will probably just do that herself!" Chrom said, laughing.

He stopped laughing when he heard three pairs of feet walking towards them, looking in the same direction that the spy had come from, he saw one of the guardsman walking straight towards Chrom with two others behind him.

One was a tall older looking man with spiky orangish hair, and the other was… a short, thin girl with long green hair and pointed ears, a Manakete. Chrom widened his eyes at this, Manaketes were a rare site.

The spy bowed, and then took his leave before the new arrivals could introduce themselves. Once they reached Chrom and Robin, the guard leading them turned and faced them.

"You are speaking to Prince Chrom of Ylisse and Lord Robin tactician of the Shepherds, please, inform them of your news." The guard said, still facing the two of them.

The man crossed his arms and smiled at Chrom.

"You know big man wearing black and with big sword yes? Gregor see him ten miles west of here with Exalt. He said to tell you that he saved Exalt and is taking her back to Ylisse." The man Chrom guessed was named Gregor said.

Chrom smiled.

"Ten miles west you say?" The prince asked.

Gregor nodded.

"Yes, also Gregor was wondering if you would like to hire. I am a very swell sword." He said, grinning further.

"You certainly look like you could hold your own; sure, you can come along. We'll discuss your payment after we've slain Gangrel." Chrom said. "Gather some of the Shepherds, we're going to go meet with them. You two should come along and show us the way." He said, pointing to the mercenary and the Manakete.

"Okey dokey! My name is Nowi by the way. That guy was really mean though, are you sure that you want to see him?" She asked.

Chrom furrowed his brow at her.

"My sister is with him. That kind of defeats the concept of me not seeing her because Guts is mean." Chrom said.

Robin placed a hand on Chroms shoulder.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? What if we're being led into a trap?" The tactician asked. "They never mentioned the fact that Guts has those spirits hounding his steps."

The Manakete huffed and then crossed her arms in a similar fashion to Gregor.

"I don't lie about stuff you white head!" She shouted. "And what do you mean spirits? Like ghosts?"

Robin frowned, and patted the top of his hair.

"Uh… yes, like ghosts. Or skeletons. Or just any variation of the undead." Robin replied.

"Even if it is, I can't skip out on the chance to keep my sister safe. I know she's with Guts, but having an entire armed contingent of troops take her home would be easier for both her and Guts. Besides, having him help us finish this will make this night easier to sleep through."

Robin nodded.

"Besides, it could be that those spirits haven't caught up with him yet. We should make sure that they still aren't going after him. I'd hate to see what would happen to Emmeryn if she got attacked by them."

"And Gregor not lie. Gregor swear it." The merc stated jovially.

…

…

…

Guts could feel his eyelid begin to lower itself, almost completely engulfing his eye. The power of sleep was powerful, but he could not allow it to take over tonight. He forced his eye open, and shook his head vigorously. He yawned, and scanned the horizon for any more signs of movement or torchlight. Emmeryn continued to slumber, barely making any noise while doing so.

The only thing visible under his cloak was her bright blonde hair and the subtle moving of the cloak as she breathed. Two hours passed of Guts forcing himself to stay awake until he heard the shifting of sand directly behind him. There were several humans behind him by his estimate. He quickly grabbed the hilt of dragonslayer and pointed it towards the intruders, ready to cleave every single one of them apart.

He lowered it when he saw that it was actually the Shepherds. He let out a sigh of relief and actually smiled. Chrom and Robin were at the forefront, walking up to him with a spring in their step. Lissa followed closely behind, and the other Shepherds fell in line along behind them. That was when Guts saw Pippin, the two warriors nodding to each other. Guts turned around, and nudged Emmeryn awake.

As soon as she woke up, Guts turned back to the Shepherds who were now only forty feet away. She threw off the cloak, and immediately stood behind Guts, peering out in front of him. She smiled when she saw her siblings and their Shepherds approaching.

She ran out from behind the Black Swordsman, and made way towards the Shepherds. Guts smiled, and followed after her. Chrom and Lissa immediately wrapped their arms around the Exalt when they reached each other, and Guts could hear Lissa begin to weep with joy.

Once Guts reached the scene, Chrom broke the hug, and offered a hand towards Guts, who promptly shook it.

"Ylisse, and me especially are in your debt Guts. Thank you so much." Chrom said, smiling.

"That was some damn good work you did over there Guts!" Sully shouted from atop her horse, flashing the swordsman a thumbs up.

Soon several other Shepherds began surrounding Guts, and that sense of familiarity returned to him.

"Well done." Lon'qu stated.

Guts nodded to the swordsman.

"Statistically what you have accomplished should have been an impossibility; however you completed your mission marvelously. I will have to keep notes on you, to see if you are of some sort of godly descent." Miriel said. "It only makes sense, super human strength, lightning fast reflexes… that's one of the only conclusions I can come to."

Guts frowned.

"Teach knew that you were gonna pull it off! I didn't have a shred of doubt!" Vaike shouted. "I say after all this is done me and you have a sparrin' match!"

"Yeah sure." Guts agreed.

"Even though you claim to be man-spawn, your capabilities say otherwise." Panne said, smiling.

"To the marrow of my bones." Guts replied.

Lissa looked up from Emmeryns shoulder, and ran towards Guts, tackling him in a hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She screamed, still crying. "You're the best ever!"

"I- You're welcome." Guts said, surprised by the contact.

"One single man storming Gangrels seat of power and winning? Anyone would be glad to have you in their army Guts. I know I'm glad to have you with us." Robin said.

Guts nodded back to the tactician.

"For a troglodyte, I suppose you did well enough." Maribelle said.

Guts rolled his eye.

"You made sure to give him a good one for Virion right?" A voice that Guts couldn't find asked.

"Hearing you doing these things makes me almost want to put down the books and pick up a sword instead… almost." Ricken said.

"Swords are cooler than magic." Guts said.

"From the bottom of my heart I thank you Guts." Frederick said from atop his horse.

"No problem." Guts replied.

Stahl and Sumia didn't say anything, merely shot him approving glances, and then turned their attention back to the Exalt.

"You are truly elite. They call me perfect but you, you're on a whole other level Guts. I look forward to working with you in the future." Cordelia said, dismounting from her Pegasus.

"You'll always have a place with us Guts. You are a Shepherd, and we'll always have your back." Chrom declared.

Guts blinked, and for a second, all the Shepherds that crowded around him had different faces. It was only for a moment, but two words came to his mind.

 _Hawk's Raiders._

The left side of Gut's cheek suddenly felt wet, and he wiped it away. Did he just cry?

"Aw look Guts! Those Feroxi girls were saying that you were sweet after all! I might cry too… like seriously." Gaius stated.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked.

Guts steeled himself, and took a deep breath.

"It's nothing. Just something from my past. You guys are reminding me of it." Guts told them. "I had a group I was a part of… a while ago. I think they would gather around me just like this. We would drink together, fight together, and sleep under the same banner together."

"Boo hoo hoo! Black Swordsman you're feelings disgust me!" A familiar voice shouted from atop the dune that Guts and Emmeryn were camped next too.

He and the Shepherds turned their attention towards the top of the dune, an unwelcome sight before them.

"I'm back bitches!" Mael shouted.

The apostle was covered in horrible scars from the wounds Guts inflicted on him, but everything else about him was the same as last time they fought. His insane green hair was matted and covered with sand, and his brown rag trousers looked much worse for wear, with several tears in them.

"Word to the wise Guts! When you kill somebody, make sure that they're actually dead!" Mael shouted.

Lissa broke away from Guts and ran back towards Emmeryn; she grabbed her wrist and began sprinting back towards the camp. Ricken and Miriel followed after her; while the rest of the Shepherds stayed on to fight this seemingly revived enemy. They took formation in a horizontal line to cover Emmeryns escape, with Maribelle staying behind the line.

Chrom and Robin ran up behind Guts, and drew their swords.

Guts pointed his sword towards the apostle who by all accounts should have been dead.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure to burn your body this time!" Guts shouted!

"And I'll burn all of yours! You've ruined my body you bastard!" Mael shouted, clutching the sides of his head. "Ah my head still hurts!"

"Come down here and I'll amputate it you bastard!" Guts shouted.

Mael cracked his knuckles.

"Well if you insist Swordsman!" The apostle shouted back, sliding down the dune.

…

…

…

"We have to get back to camp now! Everyone will keep you safe there okay!?" Lissa shouted to her elder sister.

Emmeryn nodded in agreement. She was in no shape to help them fight that green haired man anyhow; she would only get in the way. Ricken and Maribelle followed after them, turning their heads to make sure that they weren't being followed.

It was a ten mile run, but Lissa didn't care. She would complain about her sore legs later, but for now, saving her sister was top priority.

They had gotten about a half a mile from Mael before she heard a familiar cackling charging at them from behind them Lissa turned her head, but did not cease her sprint. Her eyes widened with fear when she saw who was pursuing them.

The mad king himself was hot on their trail. His eyes were no longer blind white, and he chased after them on all fours like some sort of rabid wolf, sand being kicked up from behind him. He was babbling incoherently, and Ricken stopped his sprint, holding his ground.

"Keep going! I'll hold him here!" Ricken shouted.

Miriel also stopped.

"You will need my support, otherwise you will surely die." The mage said, turning towards Gangrel.

"Just don't die!" Lissa shouted.

The two mages stood their ground against the false apostle, readying their spells. When he was thirty feet away, they both let out a powerful gale of wind magic to blast him backwards. Gangrel was stopped in his tracks for a moment as the sand complied with the will of the wind, several particles flying from the force of the magic wind. Small dunes were even blasted apart under the combined force of their magic. It was amazing that Gangrel wasn't blown away by their combined might.

He slowly crawled forwards, even under the force of the wind. Ricken and Maribelle clenched their teeth with effort as they continued to pour their energies into maintaining the wind. Time slowed to a crawl as Gangrel crawled closer and closer to the two mages.

Truly this situation was dire.

 **Read, love, review. Read, love, review. Read, love, review.**

 **Fucking review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I have one OST set up for this chapter, you don't have to listen to it, but if you like metal then I suggest it.**

 **(OST: DOOM 2016, Rip and Tear.)**

Mael continued to slide down the dune, sand kicking up into the air behind him. His teeth clacked together as he let out a maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the night. Guts clenched his teeth, and waited for him to reach the bottom of the dune. His eye was drawn to his legs when the Black Swordsman noticed them beginning to tense up.

He raised the hilt of his sword next to his head as he aimed the point of his blade at the green haired apostle, set to intercept him should he jump off of the dune mid-slide. The Shepherds still maintained their line behind him, and Robin charged up a spell, lightning crackling in his hand. Chrom readied his sword in a similar fashion to Guts, preparing for Mael to leap.

Guts' prediction turned out to be correct, as the apostle leapt high into the air, his jump arcing to land behind Guts. The Black Swordsman saw this coming, and yelled

"Duck!"

To Chrom and Robin, who complied, ducking their heads under his blade as it quickly whirled around to face where the apostle was going to land. When Mael landed, his eyes were wide with surprise, and he backpedaled out of Guts' counter swing towards the line the Shepherds made. Lon'qu saw this as an opportunity, and slashed his blade at Mael's back. The blade bit deep into the apostle's flesh, splattering blood all over the sand.

Mael let out a howl of pain, and quickly spun around with a balled fist. Mael's punch collided with Lon'qu's chin, knocking the swordsman five feet to the left of him, the blade of his sword landing in the sand. Lon'qu quickly sat up, and shook his head.

Guts charged forwards, and swung his blade with the intent of cleaving Mael in half from the waist up. The apostle must have heard this attack coming, because he ducked under the swing, kicking his foot into Guts' stomach at the same time.

The air was knocked out of the Black Swordsman as he was lifted a foot into the air, and Mael leapt up, upper cutting Guts' in the jaw, sending him twirling back behind Chrom and Robin. Guts tasted the blood in his mouth from the punch, and quickly leapt back to his feet. Robin launched his spell at the apostle, the lightning arcing out from his hand Mael quickly dodged the blast with a turn of his body, and Chrom ran up to him.

He swung his sword at Mael violently, but with purpose.

Mael grinned every time he dodged the Falchion.

"You've gotten way stronger blue boy, but not strong enough!" Mael shouted, plunging his fist deep within Chroms gut.

Spit flew from Chroms open mouth as he was catapulted towards Robin, who caught the prince in his arms. Mael quickly sprinted up to the two warriors, and leapt. Mael spun in mid-air, his heel colliding with Robin's temple. The white haired tactician flew ten feet to the left along with Chrom, and Guts swung at Mael again vertically. His blade sunk in the sand as Mael's fist's both began to riddle Guts' body with blows. Each attack threatened to shatter his bones, and were definitely going to leave bruises. The sound of his fists pounding the metal of his armor was akin to that of a hammer hitting an anvil. The apostle quickly circled him, jabbing and kicking him until he reached the opposite end from where he started attacking from.

At that point, a long iron tipped spear with a brown shaft pierced through the apostles ankle, pinning itself in the sand. Kellam stood behind Mael, who had turned his head to glare at his new attacker. That proved to be a mistake as Guts reared back his metal fist, and clocked Mael on the back of the skull. The bone crunched underneath the force of the blow, and Kellam smashed his armored fist into Mael's nose, shattering it and knocking the apostle's head back.

Taking advantage of Mael's now dazed state, the two armored men began beating on the green haired bastards head with fists of metal, knocking his head back and forth between them. Lon'qu had recovered during this time, and charged up to the apostles other ankle, driving the blade through the bone and into the sand, pinning it in place with a gush of blood that was beginning to pool beneath him.

He too joined in the beating, furiously jabbing his fists into Mael's ribs. The apostle began coughing up blood. Kellam reared back another punch, and Mael caught the fist, and grinned, before Guts smashed the back of his skull again with his metal arm. His grip on Kellam's arm did not waver; that was until Chrom sliced it off with a vertical slash of the Falchion.

Mael screamed in pain as blood splattered all of the Shepherds that were beating on him. Kellam removed the arm from his own, and threw it far to his left, the decapitated limb landing in front of some of the other Shepherds.

"Why can't I- oof- transform!?" Mael shouted. "What have you done!? Lord Ubik save me!"

Guts' head hurt again for a moment as the image of a small orb shaped man wearing round black glasses popped up. His flesh was blue and he wore a sleek black outfit. His thick lips were pulled up in a grotesque toothy smile, and Guts knew that he hated the blue bastard. He shook his head, and smashed his fist into Mael's skull once again. The apostle's brain was now becoming slightly more visible with each strike.

Chrom circled around to the other side of the apostle, and pierced the Falchion through his other arm, pinning it to Mael's body, and he too began beating on him. Mael was now completely helpless as all of the Shepherds began converging on the soon to be dead apostle.

"Stop it!" Mael shouted. "This wasn't how-"As he received a blow to the face from Kellam. "argh! It was supposed to-"As Lon'qu shattered Mael's knee with a vicious kick. "Errrhggh! Be! He said-"As Chrom punched him in the throat. "Glah!" He coughed. "Lord Fem-"As Guts smashed his skull again, blood just pouring down from his now almost wide open skull. Robin drove his iron blade into the left side of Mael's chest, causing the apostle to vomit up blood onto the tactician's cloak. Robin twisted the blade furiously as the other Shepherds continued to beat on him. "Ahhhhrrg!" Mael shouted, tears streaming down his face. Frederick quickly rode by on his blue steed, and thrusted into Mael's ribs with his silver lance, slicing the bones it punctured in half and quickly retracting the weapon and riding around to get another strike in. "Pleash!" He shouted, his words slurring. An axe found itself lodged in Mael's shoulder as Vaike let go of the hilt, the blonde smiled, and began punching in the left part of Mael's face.

The apostle spoke no more, as a combination of Kellam and Vaike's strikes broke out all of his teeth, but they didn't stop the beating. In the background, still holding the line in front of Maribelle, Stahl, Sumia, and Cordelia watched the scene wide eyed, weapons still drawn. Sully shouted something and charged towards the scene on foot, her fists raised.

Once the red headed cavalier reached them, he joined in on the beating next to Vaike, punching the apostle in its now open rib wound. Pippin had taken place next to Lon'qu, and began beating in Mael's shoulder with his mace, shattering the bone with ease.

Guts looked over to the Shepherds that didn't join in on the attack, and everyone except for Panne and Gaius seemed to be there. He saw large paw prints in the sand leading to where Emmeryn and the others had run off too. It had come to his understanding that Panne was actually a shape shifter that could turn into what equated into a giant bunny. He had heard of the race known as the Taguel from various Plegian citizens that were speaking about the Shepherds.

She must have chased after them to make sure that they would remain safe along the way, but he saw no sign of Gaius's footsteps, then again, it was dark out and wherever his tracks were was too far for him to make them out. Guts ceased his beating, and let go of the hilt of his sword, pulling a dagger out from his belt. He drove it into the crack in Mael's skull, twisted it, and pulled it back out.

Upon doing that, the other Shepherds slowly backed away, all of them breathing heavily. Mael still stood up, likely being held up by the weapons pinning him to the sand. Blood was splattered all over the Shepherds, and Guts let out a breath. There was no way Mael could have survived that ass kicking. The other Shepherds must have thought the same thing, as they all approached the body, pulling out their now blood soaked weapons. When all of them were out, Mael's corps sunk to the sand. His blood poured out onto the sand around him, and his entire body was nothing more than purple and yellow mush at this point.

Vaike raised his fist in the air and let out a cry of victory.

"Yeah! What did he think was going to happen? Charging all of us at once like that, especially since all of us are stronger than the last time his ugly mug showed up." Vaike said, grinning.

Guts agreed, what a rookie mistake. Mael was so overly confident that he thought he could take out all of the Shepherds in the open. Guts lifted his blade over his head, and brought it down onto Mael's neck, severing it from his body. While he was definitely dead, he wasn't taking any risks. The head rolled away, and Maribelle vomited onto the sand, the sound of her retching audible to all who heard it.

Guts didn't blame her, Mael's death was gruesome. Guts sheathed his blade at his back, and began walking towards where Emmeryn and Lissa took off to. The other Shepherds spared a final glance at the destroyed body of Mael, and followed after Guts.

"Gregor scared of Shepherds, so metal." Gregor said. "Oh, Gregor apologize, he mean to say brutal."

Nowi remained silent as she cradled her arms, she looked sick to her stomach.

Guts frowned when he noticed that the pain in his brand didn't trigger upon Mael revealing himself. Perhaps it had something to do with the paper that Marth had given him? If that was the case, wouldn't have hid Gangrels presence when he first approached the castle? Maybe it was gradually weakening the strength of the brand to the point where he won't feel pain upon encountering any demons. However… how was it that Mael found him? The location was so remote… Guts took a deep breath, it wasn't like it mattered anyhow, the green haired bastard was dead for good this time.

Guts flinched when he felt his brand sting ever so slightly once again. He clenched his teeth. His former theory must have been wrong. He turned to Mael's body, and saw that it still remained there, unmoving. That could only mean that… something else was around.

"We need to hurry! Run! We have to catch up to Emmeryn now!" Guts shouted. "Double up on the horses and Pegasi we don't have time!"

Robin and Chrom immediately understood what Guts' intentions were, and also ordered the other Shepherds to comply. Guts had a horrible feeling about this…

…

…

…

Emmeryn continued to be dragged along by her little sister as they ran through the sand, almost tripping over their own feet the whole way. Five minutes had passed since Gangrel first arrived, and so far, he had not caught up to them. Maybe Miriel and Ricken found a way to defeat him? Or at least hold him off long enough for them to draw closer to the camp. Her lungs burned as she drew in as much air as she could, her sides screaming with pain as every step she took sank an inch into the sand.

Lissa was in a similar state, but she pushed forwards all the same, not even stopping for a second to rest. Neither of them could afford too, if Gangrel caught up to them, that was it. If they reached the encampment, the sheer number of soldiers around should be enough to slay Gangrel.

Hopefully no one would have to die today; Emmeryns heart wouldn't have been able to bear it. Her brother had told her of his encounter with that man named Mael; apparently he was a savage fighter, knocking all the Shepherds around like dolls. Her savior, Guts, was credited with killing him off with nothing but a dagger, but he survived somehow. Hopefully they would be able to defeat him again, and quickly.

If they all banded together, surely they could defeat Gangrel. Even Guts on his own would be enough to beat him, Emmeryn believe that with all her heart that her rescuer would have no problem with dealing with the Mad King, especially since now he had no weapon.

They ran for another minute before they heard a familiar cackling from behind them once more. Gangrel was on their trail once again, and Lissa and Emmeryn both gasped upon seeing what was held in his clenched teeth.

The heads of both Ricken and Miriel were both hanging by the hair from Gangrels mouth as they bounced along with the Mad Kings gait, occasionally knocking into each other. Their eyelids remained wide, as if the terror of their fate was known before they even died. Rickens little face had a long claw marks that raked their way diagonally from the left side of his skull to the bottom right of his jaw, and Miriels eyes looked to have been plucked out. They didn't deserve this… they didn't…

Tears leaked down her face as Gangrel continued to close on them. Lissa wept as well, but they continued running in vain, as Gangrel continued to close on them. Soon, Emmeryn felt a nailed hand clamp around the back of her neck. The Mad Kings claws pierced her flesh, and she let out a cry of pain as blood seeped out of the new wounds.

Lissa was knocked away with a smack, and she rolled, unmoving. Emmeryn shouted upon seeing her sister in such a state, and Gangrel raised Emmeryn to eye level. His insane red eyes glared into her own, and he opened his mouth, the two heads of the now deceased Shepherds falling to the sand with dull thuds.

"Got you… bitch." Gangrel said, his horrid breath reaching her nose.

His grip on her neck tightened, his fingers sinking deeper into her flesh, eliciting another scream of pain.

"There isn't a Black Swordsman to save you now Exalt! You die here!" Gangrel shouted, raising another long nailed hand.

She struggled and kicked to no avail, and Gangrel grinned at her. Lissa slowly sat up, shaking her head. She looked over to Gangrel and Emmeryn, and screamed out as Gangrel impaled Emmeryn through the gut with his fist exiting out the other end of her back. Emmeryn coughed blood up on Gangrels face, and Lissa screamed with both rage and sorrow, the sound echoing throughout the night. Emmeryn gripped Gangrels forearm and squeezed in vain, the pain was unbearable…

Something fell to the ground out of Gangrels pocket… something green. It landed right beneath her, and the blood that pooled out from her gaping wound dripped onto it. Emmeryn clenched her teeth, and tried her best to block out the pain. Suddenly, from beneath the both of them, they heard something screaming in agony. She looked down slowly, and saw that it was the Behelit. It was like Guts had said, it had found its way back to her in her time of greatest need. Its face had rearranged itself to appear like a normal-ish face, and its mouth was pulled open with a horrifying screech still echoing out from it. Red tears of blood leaked from its eyes, and suddenly, everything around the three of them went completely dark.

Gangrel withdrew his fist, and Emmeryn landed on the ground, the pain of the landing caused her to cry out. Lissa ran over to her, and shielded the Exalt with her body as Gangrel continued to look around at his new surroundings.

The ground was no longer sand, but solid white marble, and everything around them remained an eerie pitch black. Out of the ground, a massive marble hand and forearm appeared, reaching high above the three of them. Soon, Emmeryn no longer felt the warm blood beneath her. She had shut her eyes, but opened them once more. Lissa's tears landed on her face as Emmeryn still had her eyes half shut, her vision blurring.

"Greetings, Exalt of Ylisse." She heard a comforting voice say.

Lissa sat up from over Emmeryn, and looked all around her. Emmeryn saw four large beings surrounding them, all of them standing atop the tips of one of the fingers. One of them was a woman wearing nothing but a black corset on her waist, her assets almost fully visible. Bat like wings wrapped around her and helped cover some of her bust, but not all of it. Her hair was long, blue, and looked to be made of tendrils as opposed to actual hair. She had a beautiful face, her thin nose and high cheekbones being prominent. She smirked down to Emmeryn.

The next one over from her was a small blue floating man that had the shape of a ball. He wore round black glasses that betrayed nothing of the eyes behind them. He wore a black body suit that covered everything except for his head and hands. His fat fingers were locked together in front of him, and he gave her a tooth filled smile.

Another similar looking creature sat atop another digit. This one's eyes were shut, and its odd mouth was devoid of teeth. Its lips were curled up, leaving the mouth open. His flesh was red, and he wore a black outfit that covered his whole body like the blue monster she saw before. His large sausage fingers were also locked together in the same fashion as the blue one.

The fourth and final one glared down at her with intense red eyes. Its helmet was shaped like that of a hawk; the eye slits also appearing like the eyes of an avian creature. A long, bat like cape hung from his shoulders. His hands ended in talons, as did his feet, and his flesh was a dark red. Behind the helmet, his flesh was fair, and he had a full set of red, feminine lips.

"Welcome O forsaken one, child of peace, keeper of love." The large red one said, his voice echoing throughout the space they occupied.

"You have come here to be offered a choice; I suggest that you listen to it." The hawk like man said, not moving an inch.

Emmeryn coughed up blood as a response.

"We can save you from your gruesome fate, and give you the power to defeat that false apostle Gangrel!" The blue one stated, raising a single finger. "We do not ask for much in return madam… it is quite simple really."

The hawk man pointed a finger at Lissa.

"Present her to us as a sacrifice, and you will rise above the ranks of a mortal human. You will become stronger than Gangrel and become a true apostle." He said.

"You can use your new found might to crush him into the sand… isn't it glorious?" The woman stated. "Just the thought of seeing such a hatred fueled battle… it sets my loins afire."

Lissa frowned, her brow furrowing with concern.

"S-sacrifice?" Lissa asked. "Emm would never do anything like that!"

The hawk narrowed his eyes at the young princess.

"If she does not, you will die anyway. Gangrel will kill you, and potentially kill the other members of the Shepherds." He said.

Lissa froze, and Emmeryn struggled to sit up, but failed.

"Femto is right," The blue one said. "If you do not survive here, and defeat Gangrel, he will escape, and launch another attack on Ylisse. Sacrificing your sister, here and now, will grant you the power to destroy Gangrel and keep your precious nation safe. Will you allow more people to needlessly die because you don't want to sacrifice her? Your people will be murdered, strung up for miles around. Your brother and his Shepherds will suffer the same fate, this I predict. You might as well sacrifice your sister now to protect them all from that destiny, let them resent you for it; they won't be able to stop you with the power we offer."

"You don't know anything you giant idiots!" Lissa shouted. "Guts and the others probably have already beat Mael by now, I'm sure they're already almost here!"

Emmeryn noticed upon Lissa mentioning Guts' name, the one named Femto frowned further.

"Likely so." The blue one said. "I am almost certain they defeated Mael, especially since when I restored him, I turned him back into a normal human!"

Lissa gasped.

"W-what!?" She shouted. "Why!?"

The blue one chuckled.

"He was an annoying servant, and he got on my nerves to no end. Simply hearing him speak angered me, so I made him mortal once again, but even as a mere human, he was powerful, and tough as nails. Even so, I expect him to have killed at least one of your friends." It said. "He came to us in his hour of greatest need as well you know? He had a twin sister with hair as green as his was… but when those slavers caught up with them, he refused to go back to being clad in chains. His sister even _insisted_ on Mael sacrificing her so he could defeat their former masters, and defeat them he did!"

"That's horrible! Siblings should never do that to each other!" Lissa shouted, shaking her fists at the being.

"It makes you appear selfish Princess Lissa, that you wouldn't willingly sacrifice yourself to save your sisters life!" The scantily clad woman shouted.

Lissa remained silent for a moment, her legs shaking.

"I can heal her! We don't need your evil magic!" She shouted back.

"You're skills are not capable of healing such a wound." The red one said. "You should know this. You are merely scared of death."

Lissa ground her teeth together.

"That's not true! Go away! All of you leave!" Lissa shouted up to the monsters.

"That is up to the Exalt to decide." Femto said. "Make your decision, death, or life?"

Emmeryn remained silent for a long time, no sound passing from any of the occupants of this odd place. If what these creatures were correct with what they said… Ylisse would be destroyed, along with all of the Shepherds. Gangrel would obtain the Fire Emblem, and the entire world would fall into ruin soon after… however, the mere thought of sacrificing her little sister repulsed her. She steeled herself as she prepared to make a decision.

…

…

…

Guts clenched his teeth as he saw a large black vortex appear at the end of the tracks. They passed the headless corpses of Ricken and Miriel. The Shepherds quickened their pace after that, Maribelle and Sumia wept for their fallen comrades, but the rest of the Shepherds grew furious, all bearing looks like their faces were carved from scowling steel.

Panne and Gaius had reached it before any of the other Shepherds had, and Guts got a good look of her in her bunny form. She was as big as a bear, and had brown fur with blood red eyes. Long white ears reached almost to her back, and she slammed her paws against the vortex over and over again. Gaius was even attempting to climb it, but slid down to the sand with every attempt.

Chrom himself ground his teeth together with each gallop of the horse. Frederick sat in the middle of the saddle, with Guts behind and Chrom on the front of the saddle. If this were any other situation, the scene would have been hilarious to see, but the circumstances were much too dire. The other Shepherds were coupled up much like this, and all headed towards the same location as quickly as possible.

They came upon that vortex at the end of the tracks, and Guts let out a scream of fury. He leapt from the back of the horse, as did Chrom and Robin. They both charged towards the swirling black mass of darkness, and collided with it as if it were a solid wall. Guts clenched his teeth, and slashed at the material. His blade bounced off of it like it was nothing, and Chrom joined him, slashing at the vortex. Robin shot spells off into it that bounced off as well. The other Shepherds rode around it, hoping to find another entrance into the center where Emmeryn surely lie.

His brand bled so profusely, that the bandage around his neck was soaked red. He knew what was happening, and he could only hope that Emmeryn took his words to heart. A full minute passed before finally, the vortex suddenly dissipated. Vanishing in an instant.

The center was finally revealed, and Guts' eye widened with surprise. The ground was no longer sand, but clear glass for one hundred feet around. Emmeryn was lying in a pool of her own blood, a wound inflicted upon her stomach. Her eyes remained shut as Lissa attempted to shake her awake, weeping. Guts frowned.

 _She kept her promise…_

He then saw Gangrel standing behind the crying princess, cackling while clutching his stomach.

"The fool! Hahaha!" He shouted. "I can't believe it! Such selflessness usually makes me ill, but this is hilarious!"

Chrom bared his teeth like a rabid wolf, and charged the apostle, along with the other Shepherds. Gangrel noticed this, and stretched out his hands.

"I kill all comers! Face me and I'll send you to your Exalt! Now I'm the one being selfless!"

He continued to cackle as they approached him from all sides, letting out screams of fury. He dodged a lance from Cordelia and gripped the front right hoof of her Pegasus. He tugged, slamming the creature into the ground. Cordelia flew far off, rolling with her fall. Gangrel quickly drove his claws into the Pegasus's chest, killing it instantly. Sumia, upon seeing this act, had her Pegasus hover above the Mad King. She through her lance towards Gangrel, who dodged it easily.

The tip of the spear impacted against the glass ground, clattering against it. Lon'qu, Vaike, and Chrom charged up to him, their feet echoing across the glass. Chrom slashed, the blade sinking deep into Gangrels thigh. The Mad King hissed, he normally would have been able to dodge such attacks, but he was focused on dodging Vaike and Lon'qu's attacks. Gangrel punched Vaike in the forehead, knocking the blonde back ten feet flat on his back.

Gregor took initiative and drove his sword into Gangrels back, quickly withdrawing the sword and giving him another slash before backpedalling away. That action saved Gregor from being back kicked by Gangrel. With the Mad King now left wide open by the attack, Lon'qu slashed Gangrels left hand off at the wrist.

Blood fell on the glass, causing the terrain to become slick. Gangrel kicked his leg into Lon'qu's gut, launching him back towards Vaike. The swordsman coughed up blood onto the glass as he attempted to stand along with Vaike. Robin cast a spell at the Mad King, who dodged it narrowly. Gangrel made a mad dash towards the tactician, but not before Chrom got a good slash in on his ribs. Gangrel ignored the pain as he pushed onwards towards Robin.

Guts readied his crossbow repeater on his metal arm, and began twisting the crank, letting the bolts pierce through various parts of Gangrels body. He was unable to ignore the pain the bolts caused him as they sunk into his flesh like a pin cushion, and glared at Guts, who was now aiming the bolts towards his head.

Gangrel ducked his head under the volley, and ran towards the Black Swordsman, whose sword was now drawn towards the Mad Monarch. Panne ran in from Gangrels left, and tackled the insane king, knocking him to the ground. Guts noted that Gaius was riding atop her back, and the thief leapt high in the air as Panne pinned Gangrel to the ground. The orange haired man then drove his blade into the king's hand in an attempt to pin it to the ground, but the glass beneath it caused the blade to simply pierce his hand.

Gangrel let out a howl of pain and sunk his teeth into Panne's exposed throat. Blood leaked from beneath the fur and she let out a howl of her own. Gangrel pulled, ripping out a huge chunk of flesh. Panne back pedaled away on all fours, blood pooling beneath her. Maribelle quickly rode by on her horse and quickly casted a mending spell on the wound, stopping the bleeding but not restoring the missing flesh.

Gangrel hit Gaius in the jaw with his bloody stump of a hand, staining his face and knocking him away. The sword remained stuck in his palm, and he attempted to shake the blade out of his hand. Guts saw Nowi take a stone, grip it tightly, and clenched his teeth when she saw that she had shifted form, much like Panne. She was now a shining, dragon like creature, like she was carved from diamonds. She flew forwards and wrapped her jaws around Gangrels neck. The king shouted in great pain as Nowi flew high into the air. Gangrel kicked and struggled but could not get a good angle of attack on Nowi. The dragon girl brought him as high as a hundred feet in the air, and then let go, the Mad King falling to the ground below. Guts quickly ran under where Gangrel was going to land, at least where he guessed Gangrel was going to land.

He held his sword high in the air, and Gangrel fell screaming belly first onto Guts' sword. Blood poured down onto Guts' black hair, causing it to droop down. Gangrel didn't cease his screams of pain, and Guts clenched his teeth, rearing back his sword and quickly spinning horizontally. Gangrel slid off of the blade and rolled blood trailing after him.

The mad kings suffering didn't end there however when Kellam seemingly appeared out of nowhere at the end of his roll. The normally serene face he held was now replaced with one of pure fury, his teeth were bared like a rabid wolf, and his eyes were open wide and bloodshot.

"You killed her!" Kellam shouted, plunging his spear into Gangrels left lung.

Gangrel coughed up blood onto the knight's armor, and Kellam stomped on his head, crushing the Mad Kings nose flat.

"You killed Miriel you bastard!"

Gangrel quickly kicked his right leg upwards, catching Kellam in the face and knocking him five feet in the air. The knight fell straight down as Gangrel quickly stood back up. Cordelia had stood back up, and ran at Gangrel with her lance raised. Gangrel bit on the blade of the sword, and pulled it out of his hand with a tug. The blade clattering against the glass. He was about to backhand Cordelia with his remaining one, but a bolt of lightning struck the mad king in his ribs, shocking him both figuratively, and very literally.

Guts quickly glanced behind him, and saw a scantily clad long black haired girl staring at the scene. Her gaze seemed to be fixated on Robin, and she brought a finger to her lips. She wore black small clothes to cover her breasts and waist, and a long black cloak trailed behind her. She held a small red book in her right hand. Her skin was almost as white as snow, and she briefly locked eyes with Guts.

She frowned.

Guts turned away, and focused his attention back on what was most important. Cordelia had run Gangrel's knee through with her lance, the iron point coming out bloody on the other end. Frederick quickly rode by, and slashed the back of Gangrels neck open. The mad king fell to the glass onto his back, slipping on his own blood during the process. Vaike leapt up, and brought the axe down on the Mad Kings other leg, cleaving it from his body. Gangrel screamed curses at the Shepherds that assailed him, but moved no more.

They all froze for a moment upon noticing Gangrels ceased movement. He was still shouting insults to their names, but other than that, he did nothing.

The Shepherds had completely overwhelmed Gangrel, they had won.

Chrom threw Falchion to the side, and leapt at the Mad King. The Prince began punching Gangrels face in furiously, the monarch laughing all the while. Robin ran up and attempted to pull Chrom away from Gangrel, put Chrom shoved his tactician away and continued punching.

"You bastard!" Chrom shouted, each strike echoing across the sounds.

Cordelia stared wide eyed at the scene, and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes moistening. Soon Gangrel had stopped laughing, and Chrom was still hitting him. Robin locked Chrom in a full nelson, and Lon'qu along with Vaike grabbed the prince, pulling him off of Gangrels body.

"He's dead already stop this!" Robin shouted.

Chrom screamed incoherently as he swung his fists.

Guts ran up to the prince, sheathing his blade at his back. He stood in front of Chrom, and reared back his right hand. The back of it collided against the prince's cheek, which was now red.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Guts yelled. "Go to your sister now you damned idiot!"

Chrom remained silent, and frowned.

"I will." Chrom said.

Robin and the other two Shepherds let him go, and he glared at Gangrel one final time before running to his weeping sibling. Guts went to follow after him, but the sound of Gangrel coughing up blood caught his attention. Guts scowled down at the false apostle, who locked eyes with the Mad Monarch. The king smiled.

"It must feel horrible… trying so hard… to save her… only for her to die anyway…" Gangrel said, letting out another weak laugh. "My only regret… is that I won't be able to save Plegia from… him… Other than that… the feeling of killing the Exalt was better than any other sensation I've felt. I would do it… a hundred times over-"

Gangrel was cut off when Guts quickly leant down, and shoved his dagger into his throat. Gangrel choked on his own blood and the blade, and his eyes finally lost their spark.

"Shut up." Guts growled out.

He released the hilt of the blade, and stomped his foot against the glass ground.

"Damn it all!" Guts shouted.

He had failed them, he failed all of them.

 **There, now I can finally start the arc that I've been wanting to do…**

 **The boat trip to Valm.**

 **Everyone loves a good**

 **BOAT**

 **Trip right?**

 **Oh yeah, and it's likely that whoever you're shipping Guts with won't come to pass. With that in mind, at the end of the series, I'll write a chapter of support logs for Guts and some of the various ladies of the Shepherds to keep you guys happy.**

 **Also review now you fucker.**


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